Warmth in the Cold
by GleekForHemo
Summary: Santana finds a homeless girl on her doorstep during a blizzard. AU. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

"It's freezing." Santana complained, rubbing her hands against each other to try to warm them up. Her breath came out in foggy puffs as the snow crunched beneath her feet. "I think my fingers are going to fall off."

"Stop whining." Mercedes rolled her eyes at her friend. They had spent the entire day at the studio working on a song and were surprised to find at least five inches of snow on the ground already.

"I have the right to complain. I lost my gloves." Santana replied, frowning unhappily. She had tried burying her hands in the pockets of her coat but with no success. Her hands felt like ice.

"And whose fault is that?" Mercedes asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Santana shot her a glare but stayed quiet. They reached Mercedes's car and Santana sighed in relief as she quickly slid into the passenger's seat.

They pulled up in front of Santana's apartment about ten minutes later. Mercedes nodded at a bundle of blankets that was lying on the stoop. "What the hell is that?"

"I have no idea." Santana mumbled. She got out of the car and walked over to the bundle. It didn't take her long to realize that it was a homeless person. She nudged the figure with her foot. "Hey, dude, move it!"

"He shouldn't be outside." Mercedes said as she moved to hover over the pile of blankets. "A bad blizzard is supposed to hit us tonight."

"Well, it's not up to me to care about his well-being." Santana said as she opened the door to her apartment.

Mercedes tilted her head in thought. She opened her bag and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, placing it next to the homeless guy. "Please, sir, use this to get to a shelter. You'll die if you stay out here."

Santana sighed and shook her head in disapproval. "You realize that he'll just use it to buy booze, right?"

"At least I tried." Mercedes said with a shrug. "You should call the police if he doesn't leave. They can bring him somewhere warmer."

"Why should I care?"

Mercedes, who was already walking back to her car, turned around and shot her a warning look. "Just do it."

"Okay, fine." Santana grumbled.

Mercedes acknowledged her friend's words with a smile and climbed into her car. Santana watched until the vehicle was out of sight before she entered her apartment, kicking the door shut behind her.

She dropped her keys on the table and made a beeline to the bedroom. The feeling in her hands was slowly returning but she was still shivering so she took off her coat and pulled on a warm sweater. She walked into the living room and turned on the TV before making herself comfortable on the couch.

Santana sighed when there was news about the blizzard on almost every channel, warning people to stay inside. Thoughts of the bundle on her doorstep invaded her mind. It was all Mercedes's fault that she suddenly felt bad. She sat there for another moment before groaning in frustration and getting up. Santana slipped on a pair of sneakers and headed outside.

She had hoped that the homeless guy had come to his senses by now but no such luck. The bundle was still in place, covered in a layer of snow.

Santana crouched down next to the figure and carefully peeled back the blankets. She felt her breath hitch in her throat when the face of a blonde girl was revealed. Her skin was pale and smudged with dirt but she was undeniably beautiful. Santana gently ran her hand over the girl's cheek but quickly retracted it upon feeling the coldness of her skin. She was scared that the girl would die of hypothermia if she stayed out here.

Santana didn't hesitate. She reached down and scooped the bundle up in her arms. She walked back into her apartment and placed the blonde on the floor in the bathroom. She gently began to unwrap the blankets and well, the smell wasn't too pleasant.

The girl was non-responsive and her eyes were closed. Santana frowned in concern and checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found one. She removed the blankets and threw them in the hallway. She ran a bath and gently removed the girl's ripped clothes. Her skin was tight around her bones with no fat whatsoever.

Once the tub was filled, she stuck her hand in the water to make sure that it wasn't too warm. Santana picked the blonde up and carefully placed her in the tub. She startled awake, her eyes shooting open. Santana's heart-rate sped up when her eyes met piercing blue ones.

"W-what..." The girl stammered, her teeth clattering.

"It's okay." Santana soothed her. "I'm just helping you."

The girl let out a soft whimper before mumbling, "I can't feel my feet."

Santana smiled softly. "That's why we need to get you warmed up." She was still holding the girl up to keep her from drowning. "Can you sit up by yourself?"

Shivering and flickering her eyes up to Santana's face, she nodded once.  
Santana smiled again and gently let go of her. When she didn't go under, Santana grabbed some soap and handed it to her.

"I'll go get you some clothes." She told the blonde, wanting to give her some privacy to clean herself up. She didn't know why she was helping a girl that she had never met before. Maybe it was her soft, caring side Mercedes insisted she had showing through.

Santana walked into the bedroom and picked out an outfit similar to her own. When she returned to the bathroom, the girl hadn't slipped under the water but her eyes were closed. Santana couldn't tell if she was conscious or not so she gently tapped her on the cheek. "Hey, wake up."

Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she suddenly seemed very aware of how naked she was as she covered herself, blushing furiously. Santana figured that she must be starting to warm up if she was getting shy.

"It's okay." Santana cooed. "I just brought you some clothes. Do you need help getting out?" The blonde shook her head. "Okay, I'll wait for you in the living room."

Santana closed the door on her way out and moved to stand in front of the window. She watched as the snow continued to fall and she shook her head at the weirdness of the situation she was currently finding herself in. Mercedes's words echoed in her mind and she pulled out her phone to call the police. She was connected to a man.

"Hi, I found a homeless woman on my doorstep. She was freezing to death so I brought her inside. Can someone come and pick her up?"

"There's not much that we can do, especially during blizzards." Came the reply.

"Can't you bring her to a shelter to keep her out of the cold?" Santana asked.

"There aren't any shelters that take people in at the moment. They're all full due to the weather."

Santana ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "Well, what am I supposed to do then?"

"Just give her some blankets and let her sleep in your entryway. She won't bother you anymore and she'll be out of the cold. But we can also send a car over to help you escort her back out on the streets if you don't want to deal with her."

Santana's jaw dropped in shock and disbelief. "What? Are you out of your mind? I'm not throwing her out in the middle of a blizzard."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but these are your only two options."

"Sorry my ass." Santana muttered in annoyance as she ended the call. She turned around just as the stranger emerged from the bathroom, looking like a small child as she fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt.

Santana walked into the kitchen and the blonde followed her. "What's your name?"

"Brittany."

"When's the last time you've eaten?" Santana asked. Brittany's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration, a clear indication that it had been a while. Santana opened a cabinet and looked for some light food, realizing that Brittany's stomach probably got upset easily. The brunette pulled out a can of chicken soup and began to prepare it. "Why didn't you go to a shelter earlier this evening?"

Brittany's eyes lowered to where her hands were nervously tugging on her sweatshirt. "I don't know. I was too tired and cold to move and I get lost easily."

Santana just nodded and poured the soup into a bowl. She put a spoon in it and handed it to Brittany. The blonde smiled gratefully and instantly began to eat hungrily. Her head snapped up at Santana's soft chuckle and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Sorry but this is really good." She mumbled, embarrassed.

Santana smiled. "It's hard to screw up soup."

Once Brittany had finished eating, Santana took the bowl from her and placed it in the sink. She could feel Brittany's eyes burn holes in the side of her head as the girl awkwardly shifted from foot to foot.

"Thanks for the bath and the soup. I should go now. Where did you put my own clothes?"

Santana turned her head and arched an eyebrow at her. "Where do you plan on going? In case you haven't noticed it yet, there's a blizzard going on outside." Brittany just continued to stare at her so she added, "You'll freeze out there. You can stay here tonight."

Brittany shook her head. "You don't have to go through all this trouble. I'll just go."

"There's nowhere else you can stay tonight and I won't be responsible for your death." Santana replied. "You can crash on the couch."

Without waiting for a response, she left the kitchen and grabbed a pillow and a pile of warm blankets from the bedroom. She put them on the couch in the living room. For some strange reason she knew she could trust that Brittany wouldn't steal all her stuff while she was asleep.

"Thank you." Brittany said softly. She chewed on her bottom lip before hesitantly asking, "Do you happen to have a spare toothbrush?"

Santana would've laughed if it hadn't been for the serious expression on Brittany's face. She nodded and walked into the bathroom, gesturing for Brittany to follow. The brunette rummaged through a drawer until she found a toothbrush. She handed it to Brittany who accepted it gratefully.

Santana waited as Brittany brushed her teeth for a solid five minutes. She wondered how the blonde had ended up on the streets but she didn't feel like she had the right to ask.

They returned to the living room and after an awkward moment of silence, Santana finally spoke up. "I'll let you get some rest. Good night, Brittany."

She turned around and started to make her way to the bedroom when Brittany's voice stopped her. "Wait, you never told me your name."

Santana smiled and glanced over her shoulder. "It's Santana."

Brittany nodded and returned the smile. She waited until Santana had left the room before she curled up on the couch, draping the blankets over her body. It was the softest thing she had slept on in god knows how long and she drifted off within seconds.

* * *

Santana woke up the next morning and it took a few moments for her to remember the events of the previous day. She groaned tiredly and climbed out of bed, making a pit stop at the bathroom. When she walked into the living room, Brittany was sitting on the couch, watching television.

Santana cleared her throat to make her presence known and Brittany's head snapped up. Her eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights and she started rambling. "I'm sorry if you didn't want me to watch TV but I wanted to wait for you so I could thank you before I left but I got bored so..."

"It's okay. Of course you can watch TV." Santana assured the blonde with an amused smirk. She glanced out the window. "It's not a good idea to go outside with the huge amount of snow on the ground. You'll have to stay until they've cleared the streets."

Brittany shook her head and wanted to protest but Santana didn't give her the chance. "I'll get you some breakfast." She walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. "Do you like cereal?"

Brittany nodded and stood up from the couch. She sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter. Santana placed the bowl of cereal in front of her and watched as Brittany began to wolf down her food, barely taking breaths in between bites. She finished the bowl in record time and Santana couldn't help but smile. "Would you like to have more?"

"Yes, please." Brittany replied shyly. Santana laughed softly and refilled the bowl a second time. The brunette shook her head in amusement when Brittany once again began to eat like there was no tomorrow.

"So, where did you put my clothes?" Brittany asked once she had finished eating.

Santana took a sip from her coffee before answering the question. "They were all torn up so I threw them out."

"What?" Brittany exclaimed, panic flashing in her eyes. "What am I going to wear now?"

"Calm down." Santana said softly as she placed a hand on Brittany's arm in assurance. Brittany blushed at the contact and Santana found it too adorable. "You can keep the clothes you're wearing now."

Brittany sighed and looked down at her lap. "This is too much, Santana. I can't accept your clothes."

Santana raised her eyebrows. "Well, I already threw out your old ones so unless you want to walk around naked..."

A horrified expression washed over the blonde's features and Santana barely managed to suppress a giggle. After Brittany finally agreed to keep the clothes, Santana gathered all the blankets in the hallway and brought them to the washing machine.

She was just about to make her way back to Brittany when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She answered it without checking who it was. "Hello?"

"It'a good to hear that the homeless guy didn't kill you." Mercedes's voice sounded. "Did he end up using my money to get to a shelter?"

"Always the saint." Santana replied, slightly annoyed. "The answer is no."

She rolled her eyes when Mercedes actually gasped. "He stayed outside in the cold? Is he alright?"

"The guy turned out to be a girl and yes, she's perfectly fine. I brought her inside and let her crash on the couch."

"You did?" Mercedes asked, clearly surprised. "Right."

Santana sighed heavily. "What is that supposed to be mean?"

"Nothing. I just didn't expect you to ever let a homeless person into your home. See, there's a soft side to you after all. I'm glad."

"Was that all?" Santana asked in a bored tone.

Mercedes laughed. "Yes, I was just worried about you but for no reason it seems. I'll see you tomorrow at work."

"Yeah, bye." Santana ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She returned to the kitchen and frowned when Brittany was nowhere to be found. "Brittany?"

She rounded the corner and finally spotted Brittany in the corner of the living room where Santana's guitar was standing. She looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and gestured to the instrument. "Do you play?"

"No, it's just for decoration."

Brittany rolled her eyes playfully. "I meant, are you any good?"

"I only know the basics." Santana shrugged. "I mostly use it to write."

"You write?"

Santana nodded. "That's what I do for a living actually. My friend and I both co-write and produce songs for Schuester's records."

Brittany bit her lip and tilted her head in thought. "Wait, how old are you?"

"I just turned 22." Santana replied with a smirk. Mercedes and her were one of the youngest to be working fulltime at the studio.

"That's impressive." Brittany beamed at her.

Santana chuckled. "Thank you."

They both sat down on the couch and watched the news that covered the blizzard. Crews were working hard to get the roads salted and cleared as soon as possible. The reporter also talked about shelters and how they were overflowing. It turned out that one homeless man died from the cold last night.

"Well, it seems like you saved my life." Brittany mumbled, obviously upset by the news. Santana nodded sadly but didn't say anything.

An hour later, Santana left the room to get Brittany's blankets out of the dryer. She folded them neatly on top of each other and brought them back to the living room. Brittany smiled in appreciation and took them from her.

"Thanks." She said. "The streets are accessible again so I should go now."

Santana was surprised by how sad the thought of Brittany leaving made her. She hardly even knew the blonde but for some reason she cared about her. Santana nodded once. "Let me at least make you some lunch."

Santana was expecting Brittany to protest again so she was pleasantly surprised when she agreed. Santana fixed them some sandwiches and they ate in silence. When they were done, Brittany gathered her blankets and Santana walked her to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay another night?" Santana asked. The idea of Brittany spending the night outside really didn't sit well with her.

"You've already done too much for me." Brittany replied softly. Before Santana could register what was going on, she was being pulled into a tight hug. Santana gently wrapped her arms around Brittany's thin waist and couldn't stop the content sigh that escaped her lips. Brittany pulled away and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Thanks for everything."

Santana didn't know what to say so she once again just nodded. Her eyes followed Brittany as she started to walk away. She felt her stomach tie itself in knots when she realized that she would probably never see the girl again.

"Wait!" The brunette suddenly blurted out. Brittany turned around and shot her a questioning look. A million things were running through Santana's mind but in the end she simply said, "Good luck."

She mentally slapped herself as soon as the ridiculous words left her mouth but Brittany just smiled at her. She resumed her walk and soon she was out of sight. Santana stood there for a long time before she finally closed the door. She slumped down on the couch with a heavy heart.

* * *

Santana arrived at the studio almost half an hour late the next day. There was chaos everywhere because of how slippery the roads were. She got out of her car and quickly made her way inside.

Santana first came in contact with her boss, Will, through a mutual friend and he had offered her an internship. He was very pleased with her work so after a year or so, it turned into a fulltime job. Mercedes was hired not long after and Santana instantly got along with her.

Today, they would be introduced to a young, new talent who had recently signed with the label. Will was clearly very enthusiastic about the girl but Santana and Mercedes didn't share that feeling since she was even later than Santana.

Finally, a tall brunette came rushing through the door. Her cheeks were flustered and her hair was slightly messy. "I'm so sorry for being late."

"That's okay." Will laughed his creepy laugh. "This is Santana and this is Mercedes. You'll be working with them most of the time."

The girl smiled and gave them a small wave. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Jordan."

"We don't care." Santana mumbled, earning a glare from Mercedes who quickly took over the conversation.

"We're excited to be working with you, Jordan. Will has told us nothing but great things about you. The first couple of months will be focused on writing so you won't be recording yet but we can show you around if you'd like."

"That would be awesome." Jordan said happily. Santana had to admit that her excitement was contagious.

They walked out of the room and down the hallway. They entered another room with a bunch of big sound boards with lots of buttons, switches and knobs. There was a sound proof recording part behind the glass where all the microphones and instruments were standing.

"This is so cool." Jordan whispered in awe.

"Would you like to play something?" Mercedes asked. They had already heard Jordan's demo but listening to someone live was always different.

Jordan nodded and made her way into the recording room. Santana sighed and sat down in her chair as Jordan picked up a guitar. Santana tried to concentrate on the song but her mind quickly wandered off. She wondered if Brittany was alright. She wished she had tried harder to convince the blonde to stay another night but she also knew that it wasn't her place to take care of her. She groaned. Why couldn't she stop thinking of her?

"Hey, are you okay?" Mercedes's concerned voice snapped Santana out of thoughts. She continued once Santana had nodded. "So, whatever happened to the homeless girl?"

Santana sighed. "She left."

"She left?" Mercedes repeated with a frown. "Where did she go to?"

"I don't know. I offered her to stay at my place for another night but she refused. I guess she's back on the streets."

"Couldn't you have helped her look for a shelter to go to?" Mercedes asked.

Santana's shoulders slumped as the feeling of guilt overwhelmed her. "I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not." Mercedes told her, smiling softly. "I was surprised you even let her stay at your house in the first place."

Santana shrugged. "I might be a bitch but I could never just leave her there to die. She was so cold, for a second I thought that she was gone already."

Mercedes nodded in sympathy. "I'm proud of you, Santana."

"But I feel bad." Santana pouted.

"I can understand that but she's not your responsibility." Mercedes said gently. "She's probably been on the streets for a while now so I'm sure she'll be okay."

"I hope you're right." Santana said, unconvinced.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading! :) Should I continue? _


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for all the reviews/alerts. I hope you'll like this next chapter. :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

* * *

**Chapter 2.**

Three weeks had passed and Santana had entirely given up on ever finding Brittany again. Santana honestly didn't know why she cared so much. There was just something about the blonde that intrigued her. It didn't matter anyway because New York was a huge city and Brittany could be anywhere. Hell, she could even be dead by now. Santana felt a shiver run down her spine just at the thought alone.

Santana was currently on her way to meet up with Tina for lunch. She had only kept in contact with very few people from high school, Tina being one of them. Tina was accepted into med school after she graduated and she was living with Mike who was now her husband. Some people thought the two were too young for marriage but Santana didn't know anyone who loved each other as much as they did.

Santana shivered and pulled her coat closer around her body as she took a shortcut down a smaller side street. She stopped dead in her tracks when the sound of a small whimper reached her ears. A frown settled on her forehead and she looked around, utterly confused.

She figured that she must have just imagined it. The brunette was just about to resume her walk when the sound repeated itself. She squinted her eyes and they finally landed on a huddled form on the ground. The person was curled up on their side, facing the wall.

Santana carefully approached the figure. Her heart began to pound in her chest at the sight of blonde hair sticking out from under the blankets. She had approached homeless people that looked like Brittany before over the past three weeks and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself again.

Another small whimper caught her attention and her face twisted in concern. She took another step closer to the homeless person and she looked down, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

"Brittany." Santana whispered as she dropped down on her knees. She gently rolled Brittany onto her back and shook her shoulders. "Britt?"

The blonde's eyes remained shut, her body still. Santana swallowed hard and silently told herself not to panic. She gently lifted Brittany's head and placed it in her lap. Her face was pale and she was shivering. Santana was relieved to see some indication of life.

She gently pushed back the hair from Brittany's clammy forehead and laid her hand across it. Santana looked down at the girl worriedly. She was burning up.

Santana stroked Brittany's cheeks with her thumbs as she thought of what to do. Finally, she fished her phone out of her pocket and called Tina. Tina answered the call after one ring but Santana didn't give her the chance to say anything.

"Tina, I need your help!" She instantly yelled into the phone.

"Whoa, calm down and tell me what happened." Tina told her, concern evident in her voice.

Santana took a few deep breaths before she spoke again. "I need you to come get me. I'll explain everything later. You brought your car right?"

A pause. "Yes. Where are you?"

Santana sighed in relief. She quickly gave Tina some instructions on how to get to her before putting her phone away again. She focused her eyes on Brittany again and took the time to observe her.

She seemed so different than before, even skinnier, if possible. Her chest rose and fell with every congested breath she took. She was limp in Santana's arms but soft whimpers continued to fall from her dry lips every now and then.

Santana felt her heart break. She gently combed her fingers through Brittany's matted hair as she waited for Tina. She knew that she wasn't responsible for Brittany but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

After what felt like an eternity, Tina arrived. Confusion washed over her face at the sight that met her gaze but she didn't ask any questions. She knelt down beside the unconscious blonde to inspect her.

"She's got a fever." Tina muttered, running her fingers over Brittany's forehead. "I'm assuming from severe dehydration. We should get her to the hospital."

Santana shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that she doesn't have insurance or identification for that matter. I'll bring her back to my place."

"Okay." Tina reluctantly agreed. "I'll have to stop by the pharmacy on our way there."

Santana inhaled deeply and scooped Brittany's body up in her arms. She carried her to Tina's car and placed her on the backseat. She then walked around the car and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Tina started the engine and glanced into the rearview mirror. "So how exactly do you know this girl?"

"Her name is Brittany." Santana replied, tightening her grip around the blonde. She didn't know why it felt so good to be close to her. "I don't know her that well. She was lying on my doorstep in the middle of a blizzard so I brought her inside."

"Okay." Tina drawled, not bothering to hide her surprise.

The drive to the pharmacy seemed to take hours while in reality it was only ten minutes. The car came to a stop and Tina hopped out. Santana looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hold on, Britt, you'll be okay."

Tina returned to the car after a few minutes and continued driving. They arrived at Santana's apartment and Santana picked Brittany up to carry her out of the car.

"Where is your key?" Tina asked as she closed the car door for her.

"In my right pocket."

Tina pulled the key out of Santana's pocket and unlocked the door to her apartment. They walked inside and Santana carried Brittany into the bedroom, gently placing her on the bed.

"I'm going to check her temperature now." Tina said as she opened her first-aid kit. She gently stuck the thermometer in Brittany's ear. The device beeped and read 103.2.

"Shit." Santana mumbled.

"Let's get her out of this sweatshirt. She needs to cool down." Tina said.

Together they managed to remove the warm sweatshirt, that Santana instantly recognized as her own, and replace it with a t-shirt.

"Can you get a wet towel? I'll set up an IV drip."

Santana nodded and walked into the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and held it under ice-cold water. When she returned to the bedroom, Tina had just finished connecting the drip to Brittany's hand.

Santana sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed the towel against Brittany's forehead. The blonde let out a weak sigh as Santana wiped the towel over her neck to cool her down. A painful ache settled in Santana's chest at the sight of Brittany. She looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes.

"She needs to rest so make sure that she doesn't over-exert herself. Give her some Tylenol when she wakes up. I think she'll be okay but if her fever rises or doesn't go away within the next three days, bring her to the hospital."

Santana nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"Of course." Tina said. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I have work in twenty minutes so I should really get going. Will you be alright?"

Santana nodded again, brushing her hand over Brittany's sweat stained hair. Tina smiled softly. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Tina." Santana smiled at her friend.

Tina gently squeezed her shoulder before she left the room. Santana listened as the door slammed shut and returned to stroking blonde locks. The room was silent apart from the steady dripping of the IV.

Brittany's body remained unmoving but a small sigh escaped her lips at Santana's touch and she seemed to drift into a more peaceful sleep. It brought a smile to Santana's face.

Santana suddenly felt really tired as her body caught up with the day's events. Her eyelids felt extremely heavy so she walked around the bed and laid down next to Brittany. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overcome her.

* * *

Santana woke up to the sound of rustling sheets and felt movement beside her. She turned her head to look at Brittany. The blonde's eyes were darting around the room and the drip had been yanked out of her hand.

"Britt?" Santana said softly, pulling herself upright. Brittany startled and looked at Santana. "Hey, it's okay."

Confusion was written all over Brittany's face. She swallowed a few times before whispering, "Santana?"

"Yeah." Santana replied softly. She patted the pillow and Brittany slowly lowered herself back down. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Brittany said in a raspy voice. "How did I get here?"

She shivered so Santana grabbed the blanket that was lying on the end of the bed and draped it over her body, earning a weak smile.

"I found you on the street out cold so I brought you here." Santana began to explain. "My friend, Tina, checked you over and it turns out that you have a fever caused by dehydration. Hence the IV drip."

Brittany looked down at her hand guiltily. "Sorry. I didn't recognize where I was so I panicked."

"That's okay." Santana reassured her. "Do you think you can drink some water?"

Brittany nodded so the brunette got up and walked out of the room. She returned with a glass of water and helped Brittany sit up before handing it to her along with some Tylenol.

"Thanks." Brittany whispered. She swallowed down the pills with a few big gulps, wincing as they slid down her raw throat. Santana took the glass from her and placed it on the bedside table. She gently placed her hand on Brittany's forehead, smiling when the blonde again blushed at the contact.

"You're still so warm." She mumbled worriedly.

"I'm freezing." Brittany pouted. Her eyes were beginning to droop again and Santana realized that she was probably exhausted.

She smiled. "Get some rest, Britt."

Brittany yawned and looked at her drowsily. "I like it when you call me Britt." She breathed out before she drifted off into slumber.

A warm feeling spread throughout Santana's body. She gently tucked Brittany in and stood up to leave the room. Santana knew that Brittany was okay now but things could've gone horribly wrong if she hadn't found her. That thought made her stomach churn.

An hour later, Santana returned to the bedroom to check up on Brittany. She looked just as pale, if not paler, as before. Santana gently brushed the hair away from Brittany's face and placed her hand on her forehead. She sighed. Brittany's temperature was still skyrocketing.

She jumped when Brittany suddenly started coughing. Santana climbed onto the bed and helped Brittany sit upright, rubbing her back soothingly. Brittany's body shook violently with each cough and it pained Santana to see her like this.

Tears welled up in Brittany's eyes as coughs continued to wrack her weak body. Finally, they subsided and she fell back on the bed with a tired sigh.

Santana wiped away the moisture that had gathered under Brittany's eyes with her thumbs. "Are you okay now?"

Brittany nodded. Santana picked up the glass from the nightstand and left the room to refill it. She returned less than a minute later and Brittany was already dozing off again.

"Britt?" She called softly. Brittany blearily cracked her eyes open. She placed the pillow against the wall so she could sit up comfortably.

Santana smiled and handed her the glass of water. Brittany took it and thirstily drained it before placing it on the bedside table. Santana then poured some of the cough syrup she had brought into a spoon. Brittany transferred it into her mouth and she grimaced. "Gross."

"I know." Santana laughed softly. "I'll go make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." The blonde mumbled, burying her face further into the pillow.

"It'll make you feel better." Santana said. "I'll just make you some toast. Please, for me."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Brittany's lips and she reluctantly agreed. Santana made her way into the kitchen and put a slice of bread in the toaster. The brunette prepared herself a cup of coffee as she waited.

She walked back into the bedroom and placed the tray of food on Brittany's lap. Brittany gave her a small smile. "Thank you. And don't worry, I'll get going soon."

"Wait, what?" Santana blurted out in surprise. "Why?"

Brittany looked down. "I can imagine that you're not too thrilled about having a homeless person in your house. Again."

Santana sighed and laid her hand on Brittany's leg over the blanket. "I chose to bring you here. I realize that we hardly know each other but I care about you. You have a fever and you need to rest so please just let me take care of you."

Brittany studied Santana's face for a few seconds and then nodded her head once. Santana smiled in victory and sat down on the edge of the bed, sipping her coffee. Brittany eyed her food. "I'm really not hungry, San."

Santana felt her heart flutter in her chest at the nickname. "I know but just try to eat a little, please?"

Brittany sighed and picked up the toast. She took a tiny bite out of it and chewed extremely slowly. The taste made her feel nauseous but she managed to force down half of it.

Santana smiled and took the tray away from her to bring it back to the kitchen. When she returned, Brittany was curled up on her side but she was still awake. Santana crawled into the bed next to her so that they were lying face to face. She once again felt her heart-rate speed up as she gazed into ocean blue orbs.

Brittany's eyes suddenly turned sad and Santana frowned slightly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't like being sick." Brittany said quietly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Santana smiled sympathetically. "It'll pass. You'll feel a lot better in the morning."

Brittany's eyes watered. Santana's frown deepened and she rubbed her hand up and down the blonde's arm slowly. "What is it?"

She felt her heart break as a single tear rolled down Brittany's cheek. Brittany sniffled. "Nobody has ever cared enough to look after me."

"Oh Britt." Santana whispered. She gently placed her hand on Brittany's cheek, wiping the tear away with her thumb. "Of course I care. Like I said before, we hardly know each other but I consider you my friend."

Brittany closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. She let out a shaky breath. "Really?"

"Really." Santana confirmed with a small smile. She continued to lightly caress Brittany's warm cheek until the blonde's breathing evened out and she was fast asleep. Santana realized what an intimate gesture it was but at that moment she only cared about making Brittany feel better.

* * *

Santana must've drifted off at some point because it was morning when she woke up. She turned to look at Brittany who was still sound asleep next to her. Santana placed her hand on the blonde's forehead, careful not to wake her up. Her temperature was still high.

Santana rolled out of bed and quickly changed into some more comfortable clothes. She walked into the kitchen and prepared two bowls of cereal. She quickly shot Will a text saying that she wouldn't be able to make it to work today. Luckily, he was quite flexible when it came to these things. She made her way back to Brittany just as the girl started to stir awake.

"Hi." Santana greeted her. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little." Brittany croaked out. She lifted her hands to her eyes to rub the sleep out of them. "My head hurts."

"I'll get you some Tylenol later." The brunette said, pouting a little. "I made you some cereal. I know that you're probably not hungry but you should really eat something."

Brittany nodded. "Thank you."

Santana smiled and handed her one of the bowls. The blonde still looked pale and exhausted but not as bad as yesterday.

"San?" Brittany asked softly as she dropped her spoon in her bowl.

Santana detected some nerves in the blonde's voice so she sent a small smile in her direction. "Yeah?"

"Can I..." She trailed off and averted her gaze down to her hands. "Can I maybe use your bathroom?"

"Uh, yeah." Santana nodded quickly, surprised by the question. "Of course you can."

"The shower too?" Brittany asked in a small voice.

Santana couldn't help but smile at how cute she was being. "Sure. But remember not to take a hot shower because that will make your body temperature rise."

"Okay." Brittany visibly relaxed.

"Do you need help?" Santana said, blushing a little. She had already seen the blonde naked three weeks ago but she didn't really pay attention to it then because she was too focused on other things.

"No, thanks." Brittany smiled shyly. She put her bowl aside and slowly got out of bed. A sharp pain shot through her head at the movement and she winced slightly.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked worriedly.

Brittany nodded. She hesitated for a moment before quietly asking, "Do you still have that spare toothbrush?"

Santana smiled. "Yes. It's in the top left drawer."

Brittany nodded gratefully and made her way into the bathroom. Santana returned the bowls to the kitchen and quickly rinsed them out. She leaned against the counter and listened to the sound of running water. There was a beautiful, wonderful person she hardly knew in her apartment and suddenly everything felt complete.

Santana almost flinched when she realized what she was thinking. She sighed and shook her head, as if it to clear it. She jumped slightly when her doorbell suddenly rang and she quickly crossed her apartment to open the door.

"Will might have let you off the hook easily but not me." Mercedes said as she barged inside. "Why weren't you at work? Are you sick?"

Santana closed the door and raised her eyebrows as her friend continued to fire questions at her. "Calm your tits, woman."

"No, I had to work with Jordan by myself all day and that girl has a strong opinion. Damn..." Mercedes trailed off and narrowed her eyes. "Is that the shower running?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Oh my god!" Mercedes exclaimed before Santana could finish her sentence. "You didn't show up at work because of a girl?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Oh my god! I've been working my butt off all day while you were busy hooking up with said girl?"

"No..."

"Oh my god..."

"Mercedes!" Santana finally got the girl to shut up. "Christ, will you please listen to me? Yes, there's a girl in my shower but no, I'm not hooking up with her."

"Then why is she in your shower? Be honest with me Santana Lopez!"

Santana sighed. "Do you remember when I let a homeless girl stay here during that blizzard?"

"Of course." Mercedes replied, confused.

"Well, I was on my way to meet up with Tina for lunch when I found her again. She had a high fever so Tina and I brought her back here."

"This sounds like a movie." Mercedes mumbled. "Tell me everything."

Santana sighed again. "There's not much to tell. She needs to rest so I'm letting her stay here."

"Hmm." Mercedes hummed. "She must be something special if she got you to soften up."

"Stop making me sound like a robot. I don't like many people but I'm not heartless." Santana replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you like her?"

"What?" Santana exclaimed, taken aback by her friend's forwardness. "I hardly even know her."

"Maybe it was love at first sight." Mercedes said in a dreamy voice.

Santana rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as love at first sight. Only attraction at first sight. Can we just drop it?"

"Alright." Mercedes agreed. She opened her bag and pulled out a few papers. "I brought you some work to look over."

"Ugh." Santana groaned and took the papers from her. They sat down at the table and started to look over them together.

Santana hadn't heard the shower turn off so she was surprised when Brittany shuffled into the room ten minutes later. She looked a lot more freshened up than before but still extremely tired. Her eyes widened a little when she noticed that there was company and she awkwardly looked around.

Mercedes followed Santana's line of sight and she stood up. She walked over to Brittany and smiled warmly, stretching out her hand. "Hey, I'm Mercedes. Santana's friend and colleague."

Brittany smiled shyly and shook her hand. "I'm Brittany."

"It's nice to meet you." Mercedes said. She looked at the clock on the wall and then at Santana. "I'm going to head out. Have fun working on those lyrics."

Santana shot her a glare. Mercedes exchanged a few words of goodbye with Brittany and then she was out the door.

"Do you want to watch some TV?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded so they moved into the living room. She handed Brittany the remote control and told her that she'd be right back.

"For the headache." She explained when she returned with a glass of water and some pills a minute later. Brittany nodded gratefully and took them from her.

They flipped through the channels for a while and finally settled on some romantic comedy. Halfway through the movie, Brittany rested her head on Santana's shoulder and Santana felt her heart pound faster.

"Is this okay?" Brittany whispered.

Santana's mouth was too dry to speak so she just nodded. It didn't take long for Brittany to fall asleep and Santana carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. This was definitely okay.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/alerts. I really appreciate it. _

_This chapter contains talk of something that some people may find upsetting. I don't want to give it away so you can scroll to the bottom of the page where I'll tell you. _

_Enjoy! :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 3.**

Two days had passed and Brittany was still staying with Santana. Her temperature had gone back down to normal but she still wasn't fully herself yet. You could fill a swimming pool with the amount of tissues she had used so far. Santana had been working from home as much as possible to take care of Brittany. She honestly didn't want the blonde to leave again. She liked having her around but she knew that it would happen eventually. Santana always pushed the thought away as soon as it came to mind. She didn't want Brittany to be out in the cold instead of somewhere warm and cozy where she belonged.

Santana was currently sitting at the table, looking over some work that Mercedes had dropped off earlier. She could feel Brittany's eyes on her, following her every move but each time she glanced in her direction, the blonde would blush and quickly look away. Santana wondered if this was Brittany's subtle way of flirting with her. After an hour, Santana closed her laptop and stood up from her chair. She walked towards Brittany who was curled up on the couch and sat down next to her.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

Brittany sat upright and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "Not really. I was just thinking."

"About what?" Santana encouraged her to continue.

"You've saved my life twice." Brittany said softly, looking down at her socked feet. "Words can't even describe how grateful I am. You've given me clothes, food, medicine, a place to stay. I wish I could give you something in return."

Santana ignored the feeling of disappointment that coursed through her veins. Of course Brittany hadn't been flirting with her. She was probably straight. Santana scooted closer to the blonde. "That's not necessary, Britt. In a way, you're also helping me. Living by myself can get kind of lonely. I like your company."

Brittany nodded slowly. "Okay but I'll be out of here as soon as I'm completely better. It feels like I've already overstayed my welcome."

"You haven't. And don't worry about that right now." Santana replied, feeling a familiar sadness creep over her again. She sighed and decided to change to subject. "Are you hungry?"

Brittany nodded so Santana picked up her phone. Half an hour later, they were seated in the kitchen with a plate of Thai food in front of them. A comfortable silence had fallen over them. Santana always felt comfortable around Brittany. There were only a few people in her life that she considered her friends and Brittany had managed to become one of them in just a matter of days.

"San?" Brittany's voice pulled Santana from her thoughts. She hummed in acknowledgement and Brittany continued. "I know you probably have questions. You can ask them if you want to."

Santana was a little surprised. Of course she had wondered about Brittany's life but she had never dared to ask any questions out of fear that it would be too painful to talk about. She was silent for a few seconds before finally asking, "Are you sure?"

Brittany nodded. "But can you maybe tell me something about yourself first?"

"Sure." Santana said, taking another mouthful of food. She took a moment to figure out where to begin. "Well, I grew up in Ohio. Lima to be exact. My family still lives there. I moved to New York after I graduated from high school and managed to get an internship at Schuester's records. My parents helped me out financially until Will offered me a fulltime job."

Brittany nodded. "So, you don't have a boyfriend?"

Santana knew that this subject would come up eventually. She took a sip from her water in preparation before answering the question truthfully. "No and I'll never have one either because I'm gay." She slowly turned her head to observe Brittany's reaction. "Is that okay with you?"

Brittany blinked. "Yeah, of course it is." Santana sighed in relief. "How old were you when you came out?"

"I was 17 when I told my family." Santana replied, smiling sadly. "I still remember it like it was yesterday."

Brittany frowned at the expression on the brunette's face. "Did they not take it very well?"

"My parents were a little surprised but they were okay with it. My grandmother is a whole different story though." Santana said softly. She still remembered the look of disgust and disapproval on her abuela's face. She had been devastated when she was requested to leave the house. The rejection had crushed her.

"What happened?" Brittany asked.

Santana sighed. "She basically told me to leave and never return. She said that secrets are called secrets for a reason. I haven't seen her since."

"Oh San," Brittany whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Santana shook her head. "It's okay. It still hurts but I've moved on." Brittany didn't know what to say so she just nodded sadly. Santana cleared her throat. "Well, that's basically my story. My life is pretty boring."

"It's not." Brittany argued. "You have accomplished so much and you're only 22. I admire you."

Santana blushed a little at the compliment. She averted her gaze to her plate. "So, what's your story? It's okay if you don't want to share it with me."

"I want to tell you, San." Brittany said softy. Santana could sense some hesitation in the blonde's voice. She placed her hand on Brittany's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you maybe want to move to the living room?"

Brittany nodded. Santana gave her an encouraging smile and took her hand, leading her out of the kitchen. Brittany had a lost expression on her face and Santana wasn't sure if she was truly ready to open up. They sat down on the couch and Santana waited patiently as Brittany tried to gather her thoughts. Santana could tell that she was struggling and it broke her heart.

"Britt?" She called softly. Blue eyes met hers and she smiled warmly. "You can trust me."

"I know but I'm scared." Brittany admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of what?" Santana asked gently.

Brittany looked down at her hands. "That you'll think differently of me once you know everything."

Santana placed an assuring hand on her knee. "That's not going to happen, Brittany. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Brittany asked in a small voice, flickering her eyes up to the brunette's face.

She looked so vulnerable. Santana felt her heart break into even smaller pieces. She gave her knee a soft squeeze. "I promise."

Brittany took a few deep breaths in preparation before she began to speak in a shaky voice. "When I was younger, my life was perfect. I had everything I could wish for. I had a family that loved me and plenty of friends. But that all changed in my senior year of high school."

Santana could feel the tension in Brittany's body. She wanted to say something to reassure her but she knew that it was best to stay quiet and let Brittany tell the story at her own pace.

"Some football player organized a party and my friends and I all went. I was having fun and drinking way too much. I hardly ever drank alcohol so I got wasted pretty quickly. I ended up having sex with some random guy."

She nervously looked at Santana, waiting for a reaction. Santana gave her an encouraging nod so she continued.

"I found out that I was pregnant one month later." Brittany paused and let out a shuddering breath. Santana felt her stomach drop. She didn't know what to say so she gave Brittany's knee another squeeze, letting her know that she was there for her. "I was only 17 and I couldn't even remember the guy's name. I was so scared. I told my parents and they were furious. They wanted me to get an abortion but I refused."

Santana watched as a single tear rolled down Brittany's pale cheek and she quickly wiped it away with her index finger, earning a small smile. Santana returned it. "It's okay, continue whenever you're ready."

"Thanks." Brittany whispered. A few minutes passed before she spoke again. "My parents didn't agree with my decision to keep the baby. They told me that I wasn't their daughter anymore because I had disappointed them too much. They ignored me and basically acted like I didn't exist."

Santana felt her throat close up with emotion. She didn't understand how anyone could be so heartless. She could tell that Brittany was having a hard time carrying on with the story so she moved closer to the blonde and wrapped an arm around her waist. Brittany closed her eyes and leaned into her.

When Brittany opened her eyes again, they were glistening with unshed tears. Santana gently tucked a strand of hair behind Brittany's ear. "Are you okay? We can stop if you want to."

Brittany shook her head. "I don't think I'll be strong enough to start again if I stop."

"Okay." Santana said softly, pulling her even closer.

Brittany furiously wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Word spread quickly and after a few days everyone at school knew about my pregnancy. I became the school's joke. They called me a slut."

Santana clenched her jaw as anger bubbled up inside of her. "You're not a slut."

"I know. He was my first and I can't even remember his name." Brittany replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "How stupid does that make me?"

"You're far from stupid, Britt. We all make decisions that we doubt later on but we only learn and grow from them." Santana told her.

Brittany nodded slowly. "Anyway, my parents wanted nothing to do with me so they kicked me out on my 18th birthday. They said that if I was old enough to get pregnant, I was old enough to take care of myself too."

Santana was speechless. She felt anger spread through her body. She didn't know Brittany's parents but she hated them for being so cruel to their own daughter. Their own flesh and blood.

"I dropped out of school and tried to look for a job but no one wanted to hire a pregnant teenager with no experience. I didn't have any money so I just lived on the streets and went from shelter to shelter."

Santana swallowed the lump in her throat. "Didn't you have any family to stay with?"

"No. I've never been close with them so they don't care about me. They all agree with my parents." She sniffled and looked down at her lap. "So here I am. Homeless and jobless at the age of 19. Pathetic, isn't it?"

Santana felt like crying. She cupped Brittany's chin with her free hand, forcing eye-contact. "Don't ever call yourself pathetic, Brittany. I can't even imagine how hard all of this must've been for you. The fact that you're still standing says everything about how strong of a person you are."

Brittany suddenly threw her arms around Santana, burying her face in the curve of her neck. Santana felt warm wetness on her skin and she realized that Brittany was crying.

"Hey," She cooed, rubbing her hands across the blonde's shoulder blades. "don't cry, Britt. You're okay."

"I'm sorry." Brittany whimpered. "I've been feeling so alone and now you're suddenly being so nice to me."

Santana wanted to say something but the words caught in her throat. She continued to rub soothing circles on Brittany's back until she calmed down. Santana had never been the comforting type of person but things were different with Brittany.

Brittany pulled back and wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her sweater. Santana took both of the blonde's hands in her own. She heard Brittany's breathing calm down so she could probably talk again. "What happened with the baby?"

Brittany glanced down at their hands that were resting on her lap and mumbled something that Santana failed to understand. She dipped her head down to see Brittany's face more clearly. "Britt?"

"I lost it." Brittany whispered.

Santana felt a tightening in her chest, like all the oxygen was slowly being sucked away. She blinked back the tears that were burning behind her eyes. "Honey..."

"I was having really painful cramps so I went to a shelter where I could shower. I thought the warm water would help." Brittany continued, keeping her eyes glued to their hands. "But then I noticed the b-blood..."

Santana's throat felt like sandpaper. She caressed the back of Brittany's hands with her thumbs, trying to offer her some silent support.

"The blood was everywhere. It was running down my legs. The cramps only became worse and clots started coming out and I just... knew."

Brittany's bottom lip quivered as a fresh wave of tears came, unable to contain the pain these memories brought back. Something told Santana that this was the first time that Brittany had talked about the loss of her baby. She wrapped an arm around the girl and guided her head to her shoulder.

Santana could feel her t-shirt getting damp from Brittany's tears but she didn't mind. "Shh." She whispered, rubbing small circles on Brittany's back. "Just breathe." She placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It's going to be okay, Britt."

Santana didn't know what else to say. She was pretty sure that there wasn't anything she could say to make this better for Brittany. The blonde's sobs subsided eventually but Santana didn't loosen her hold on her. She gently brushed her fingers through Brittany's soft hair until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep from exhaustion.

Santana maneuvered Brittany's body so that the blonde was lying down. She slowly slipped away from her and grabbed a blanket, draping it over Brittany's still form. She knew that their conversation had been emotionally draining for Brittany so she didn't have the heart to wake her up. Santana knelt down beside the couch and stroked her thumb over Brittany's slightly furrowed brow.

"You'll be okay, Brittany." She whispered, pressing a light kiss to Brittany's forehead. "I promise."

Santana took one last glance at the sleeping girl before she walked into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and drained it in record time. There were a million things running through her mind and her emotions were all over the place. She honestly hadn't known what to expect but she certainly hadn't been expecting this. These discoveries about Brittany's past just broke her heart. It literally felt like someone took a hammer and cracked it open, shattering it into a million pieces. She couldn't understand how Brittany's parents had just abandoned her like that in the time she needed them the most. Santana wished that she had met Brittany a few years earlier. She would never walk out of her life like that and she wasn't planning on doing that now.

Santana sighed heavily and ran her hand through her hair. She returned to her previous spot at the table and tried to distract herself with work. It was impossible to focus though. She kept seeing images of Brittany wandering the streets, cold and utterly alone. It made her want to cry. She had only known Brittany for a few days but the blonde had somehow found a way into her heart. Santana would never forgive herself if something happened to Brittany. She had come close to dying too many times already and Santana wasn't going to let it happen again.

After an hour of doing anything but work, Santana gave up. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting pretty late. She didn't want Brittany to sleep on the couch with her still being sick and all. On the second day of Brittany's stay at Santana's place, Santana had insisted on Brittany taking the bed while Brittany had insisted on Santana _not _taking the couch. She had pouted at Santana's protests and well, no one can resist that pout so they had finally agreed on sharing the bed.

Santana walked over to the couch and placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder, shaking her lightly. Brittany mumbled something that Santana couldn't understand before her eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing tired blue eyes. Santana smiled softly and tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind the blonde's ear. "Let's get you to bed."

"Okay." Brittany mumbled as she slowly sat up. Santana couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked. She offered Brittany her hand and pulled her off the couch. She gently led Brittany into the bedroom where the girl immediately crawled into the bed.

"Do you need anything?" Santana asked, taking in Brittany's pale features.

"No, thanks. I'm feeling better." Brittany said softly. "I think I'll be okay to leave soon."

Her words propelled Santana straight back into full awareness and an unpleasant feeling slowly began to build in the pit of her stomach. The thought of Brittany leaving unsettled her. There was just something about her that drew Santana in. Something captivating.

Santana released a shaky breath, her eyes fixated on the bed where Brittany was now snuggled under the covers with her eyes closed. She didn't want her to leave. She'd miss her too much.

She stood there for a while, lost in thought, before she quickly got changed for bed. She climbed into the bed and under the covers, careful not to wake Brittany up. Her mind was working in overdrive to figure everything out. Brittany mumbled something incoherently and rolled over, snaking an arm over Santana's waist. Santana felt her heart expand in her chest. She exhaled slowly and allowed her mind to go blank. She snuggled a little closer to Brittany and soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Santana had to go into work the next day. She felt a little reluctant to leave Brittany alone after everything they had talked about yesterday. She was afraid that the memories had brought up some unwanted emotions but Brittany insisted that she was fine.

She spent the first half of the day working out lyrics with Mercedes. It was hard to focus though when her mind was constantly with Brittany. She wanted Brittany to stay but she didn't know if Brittany wanted that or not. She didn't want her to think that she felt sorry for her or something like that. She wanted her to feel like she had a friend. Someone to trust and rely on.

"Are you even listening?" Mercedes's annoyed voice pulled Santana from her thoughts. She blinked and looked at her friend, confused. Mercedes sighed. "I was suggesting adding a third verse but never mind. What's up?"

"Nothing." Santana replied.

Mercedes turned her head and arched an eyebrow at her. "Is it Brittany again?" Santana opened her mouth to protest but Mercedes didn't give her the chance. "Don't even try to deny it, Santana. I know you care about her. You haven't left your apartment ever since you found her again."

Santana looked down at her lap, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks. "I just don't want anything to happen to her."

Mercedes's eyes softened. She abandoned her work and turned in her seat to fully face Santana. "I'm sure she'll be okay. She's been on her own for a long time. She's learned how to take care of herself."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Santana asked, lifting her head. "Knowing that she's all alone out there kills me. She's been through so much already. What she told me about her past yesterday broke my heart. It's so unfair and I'm so fucking angry with the world. I've only known Brittany for a few days but I know that she's an amazing person and I'll be damned if something bad happens to her and I didn't do anything to prevent it."

Mercedes was silent for a few moments. The passion in Santana's brown eyes surprised her. It usually took a lot longer for the brunette to warm up to people so this proved how much she cared about Brittany. "Then why don't you ask her to stay?" Mercedes finally asked.

"You mean ask her to move in with me?" Santana asked, leaning back in her chair and biting her bottom lip. Mercedes nodded. Santana sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I've thought about that but I'm almost certain that Brittany will refuse. She thinks that she's a burden already, even though I've told her plenty of times that she isn't."

"Asking her won't hurt." Mercedes said with a shrug. "You can help her look for a job and help her get back on her feet. Maybe that way you'll be able to sleep at night." She shook her head and smirked. "You're turning into a softie, Lopez."

"Shut up." Santana rolled her eyes. A moment of silence passed before she said, "I'll ask her tonight."

Mercedes nodded, satisfied.

The next couple of hours passed by relatively quickly and Jordan arrived at the studio around lunchtime. Santana didn't know the brunette that well but Mercedes didn't seem to like her very much. Apparently she was a pain in the ass to work with. Santana felt a little guilty that she had left her friend to deal with her on her own for the past few days.

Santana was just pouring herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen when Jordan walked into the room. She smiled shyly. "Oh hi, Santana."

"Hey." Santana nodded at her. She usually trusted Mercedes's judgment but so far she didn't have any reason to dislike Jordan. She actually seemed pretty nice. Santana held up the coffeepot. "Do you want some?"

Jordan nodded gratefully. Santana poured her a cup and handed it to her before taking a seat at the table. Jordan walked over to the fridge and grabbed her lunch. "Aren't you having anything?" She asked Santana as she sat down next to her.

Santana took a sip from her coffee before answering the question. "I'm not hungry." She explained. The truth was that she had forgotten her lunch at home but she wasn't going to admit that. The loud growl of her stomach said the words for her though.

"It doesn't sound like you're not hungry." Jordan smirked. "Do you want to go out and get something to eat?"

Santana looked at her in surprise. She hesitated for a few moments but then shook her head, "No, thank you. My lunch break is almost over. Maybe some other time though."

"Okay." Jordan smiled brightly. "I'd like that."

* * *

When Santana arrived home later that day, she found Brittany in the kitchen. The blonde was humming to herself and dancing around the small space. Santana smiled adoringly as she took off her coat and dropped her stuff on the table. She cleared her throat to make her presence known and Brittany's head shot up. She blushed furiously. "Hi. I didn't know you'd be back already."

"Obviously." Santana laughed. "Nice dance moves."

Brittany's cheeks turned even redder than before and she awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "Thanks."

"I see that you're feeling better." Santana said as she walked further into the kitchen. She glanced at the brown lump of something that was standing on the stove. She scrunched up her nose. "What is that?"

"I tried to cook lasagna but I burnt it." Brittany admitted shyly, her lips forming into a pout.

"Well, it's the thought that counts." Santana tried to cheer her up. She grabbed herself a bottle of water and leaned against the counter. "What's the occasion?"

"Like you said, I'm feeling a lot better so I thought I'd cook you a nice meal to say thank you before I left." Brittany explained. "I'm sorry I ruined it." She mumbled, lowering her gaze to the floor.

Santana tensed and all her feelings of happiness instantly disappeared from her body. She knew that Brittany had been planning on leaving as soon as she was better but it suddenly sounded real now that it was almost happening. Her grip on the bottle in her hands tightened and her stomach churned nervously. "Yeah, Britt, about that…" She started but trailed off.

Brittany looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

Santana swallowed thickly. "I know that we met under strange circumstances and that it's only been a few days but I trust you and I like to think that you trust me too. I don't want you to be out there in the cold when you could be safe and warm right here." She knew that she was rambling but she couldn't stop herself. "I care about you and your well-being and I don't want anything to happen to you. These past few days have been some of the happiest days of my life and I don't want them to come to an end."

Brittany took a moment to process Santana's words. Her eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, San."

Santana took a step closer to Brittany and took her hand. She tried to think of the perfect way to phrase her sentence but in the end she simply blurted out, "Move in with me."

* * *

_A/N: There's talk of miscarriage._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)_

_Ps. Apparently Jane Lynch said that Hemo Junior is supposed to be coming this Sunday. I'm excited!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

* * *

**Chapter 4.**

"What?"

"Move in with me." Santana repeated with a little more confidence this time. Brittany just continued to stare at her with a blank expression. The more time passed, the less sure of herself Santana became. She nervously shifted from foot to foot. "Britt?"

"Is this because of yesterday?" Brittany suddenly blurted out. Her eyes hardened and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

Santana's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to feel sorry for me." Brittany said. Santana sighed, this was exactly what she had been afraid of. She opened her mouth to correct Brittany but the blonde didn't give her the chance. "I didn't tell you those things because I want your sympathy. You don't have to take pity on me. I consider you my friend and I appreciate everything you've done for me but I can't move in with you."

Santana felt her heart drop to her stomach. She took a step closer to Brittany. "I'm not asking you to move in with me because I feel sorry for you. I genuinely care about you, Britt. I don't want you to risk your health when you could be perfectly safe right here with me."

"I appreciate that." Brittany said softly. "But I still can't move in with you."

"Why not?" Santana asked. She didn't want to come across as desperate but the thought of Brittany leaving freaked her out. There was a chance that she would never see the girl again and she wasn't planning on letting that happen. "I like having you here."

Brittany shook her head. "You do now but that'll change once I've been here for a while. You have a life, San. You have a good job, friends. I don't have any of those things. I'll only be in the way."

Santana felt a twinge in her heart as she listened to Brittany. She took another step closer to the blonde and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's not going to happen." The brunette spoke confidently. "I'll introduce you to my friends and I can help you look for a job if that's what you want. I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do but please, give it a try. You can always move out if you end up hating me."

Brittany's lip curled up into a small smile. "I could never hate you." She was silent for a few seconds and her expression changed back into a solemn one. "Will you be honest when you start getting tired of me? Because I'll leave right away."

"You don't have to worry about that." Santana assured her. Brittany kept looking at her in expectance so she quickly added, "But yes."

Brittany tugged the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and sighed, "Okay."

"Okay?" Santana questioned, making sure that she had heard right. Brittany nodded and Santana couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. "I swear you won't regret this, Britt."

"I know I won't." Brittany said softly, looking down at her feet. "I'm afraid that you will."

Santana sighed sadly. She didn't know what else she could say to reassure Brittany. It hurt her to know that the blonde was so afraid of rejection but she couldn't blame her though, not with everything she had been through. Instead of saying anything, Santana gave Brittany's shoulder a gentle squeeze before dropping her hand. She decided to steer to conversation into a lighter direction.

"Now that that's settled," She began, turning to the stove. "what are we going to eat?"

A blush immediately rose to Brittany's cheeks again. "I'm sorry for wasting everything I used. I should probably stay out of the kitchen from now on." She said, eyeing the burnt food on the stove.

"No worries." Santana replied as she opened a cabinet. "Let's see what we've got here." She pulled out a can of expired beans and held it up. "This or take-out again?"

"Anything but the beans, please." Brittany said.

"Take-out it is." Santana smiled, dropping the can of beans in the trashcan.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Santana answered the door while Brittany went to grab them some plates. She accepted the pizza they had ordered and gave the delivery guy some money before returning to the living room. Brittany joined her a minute later and they began to eat as they chatted about nothing in particular. Everything felt strangely domestic but Santana definitely wasn't complaining. She was feeling more relieved than ever. She probably wouldn't have slept at night ever again if Brittany hadn't agreed to stay with her.

Santana had just taken a bite out of her slice of pizza when she felt a familiar buzz in her pocket. She put her food down and pulled her phone out of her pocket. It turned out to be a text from Tina inviting her and Brittany to go clubbing tonight with the rest of their group of friends. Santana bit her lip and hesitated. It had been a while since she had last gone out with her friends and she really wanted to go but she didn't know if Brittany would be up for it.

"Is everything okay?" Brittany asked.

Santana nodded. "Yeah, it's just a text from Tina."

"She's the girl who helped save my life, right?" Brittany asked quietly. Santana nodded again, feeling a shiver run down her spine as images of Brittany lying motionless in her arms flashed through her mind. "Please tell her I said thank you."

"Well, actually, you might be able to thank her yourself tonight." Santana replied. Brittany looked at her in confusion so she explained, "If you agree to go out with us."

Brittany abruptly stopped eating. "Out as in…"

"Going to a club." Santana finished the sentence for her. Brittany's eyes widened and she began to shake her head in protest. Santana clasped her hands together. "Please, Britt, it'll be the perfect opportunity to meet my friends. They've all been dying to meet you."

"You've talked to them about me?" Brittany asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Well, yeah." Santana admitted shyly. "Don't worry, I haven't told them anything personal. Tina and Mercedes know how we met but that's it. You don't have to share anything with them if you're not comfortable with it."

Brittany's smile widened but it disappeared when she remembered what they were talking about. Her face fell. "I don't know, San. I've never gone to a club before and I'll probably make a fool out of myself. I don't want to embarrass you."

"You could never embarrass me." Santana assured her. "My friends are cool. They won't judge you. I promise that I'll stay with you the entire time."

Brittany sighed. "It actually sounds kind of nice but I don't have anything to wear. I can't go in sweatpants."

Santana laughed. "You can borrow something from me." She told Brittany gently. She had been borrowing Santana's clothes already anyway and Santana was embarrassed to admit how much she liked seeing the blonde in them. "I'm sure that it'll be fun but we can always go home if it isn't."

"Okay." Brittany finally agreed.

Santana smiled widely and quickly texted Tina back.

* * *

A little while later, they were standing in the bedroom. Brittany watched in amusement as Santana rummaged through her closet, throwing random clothes over her shoulder in the process. Finally she turned around and handed Brittany a knee length dress and a pair of black heels. "Here, this will look amazing on you."

"Thanks." Brittany smiled as she took the items from her, trusting her judgment. "I'll just go change in the bathroom then."

The blonde disappeared into the bathroom while Santana continued to look for an outfit for herself. She quickly found one and had just finished getting ready when Brittany walked back into the room. Santana turned around and her breath hitched in her throat when her eyes landed on Brittany. She looked stunning. The dark blue color of the dress made her eyes pop and the dress hugged her curves perfectly. Her hair was tied back into a low side ponytail, her blonde hair flowing gently down the front of her left shoulder.

"You look beautiful." Santana breathed out, completely mesmerized.

"Thanks, San." Brittany blushed, her eyes scanning over Santana's body. The brunette was wearing a simple yet elegant short strapless black dress and heels that made her toned legs seem endless. Her hair fell over her shoulders in waves, looking shiny and perfect. Brittany swallowed thickly. "Wow."

"I'll take that as a good thing." Santana laughed softly, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her eyes.

Brittany frantically nodded her head. "You look gorgeous."

Santana felt her heart flutter in her chest. She didn't know why it felt so good to hear those words from Brittany. They continued doing their make-up and added some finishing touches to their outfits. It was like Brittany had a permanent smile etched on her face. She didn't feel worthless around Santana. In fact, for the first time in years it actually felt like she belonged somewhere. A thought suddenly hit her and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Hey, San?"

"Yeah, Britt?"

"I'm afraid that I can't come with you after all." Brittany said. Santana turned around to face her and raised her eyebrows, silently asking her to explain. Brittany sighed. "I just realized that I'm not old enough to get into a club."

Santana sighed in relief. She smiled. "Don't worry about that. My friend, Puck, owns the club we're going to so he'll let you in."

"You have a friend named Puck?" Brittany tilted her head, her features twisting into the most adorable frown.

"It's a nickname." Santana chuckled. "His first name is Noah and his last name is Puckerman so he started calling himself Puck."

Brittany nodded and listened intently as Santana continued to tell her about her friends. She was nervous but excited to meet them all. It made her happy that Santana genuinely wanted to include her in her life. She couldn't help but be slightly reluctant though and warned herself not to get attached too fast. It was the only thing she could do to try and prevent herself from getting hurt.

"Are you ready?" Santana asked as she grabbed her purse. Brittany nodded so they headed outside where a cab was already waiting for them.

* * *

It was a short drive to the club so it didn't take long for the vehicle to come to a halt again. They got out and Santana immediately spotted her friends near the entrance. She smiled at Brittany as they walked up to them. Quinn was the first one to notice Santana and she pulled the shorter girl into a hug. Santana laughed and patted her back. "I missed you too, Quinn."

"It feels like I haven't seen you in forever." Quinn said as she released Santana from her embrace. "What have you been up to?"

"Work mostly." Santana replied. She greeted the rest of her friends before she placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder, encouraging her to take a step forwards. "Guys, this is my friend Brittany. She recently moved in with me."

"Hi." Brittany said shyly, giving them a small wave.

"I'm Quinn. It's nice to meet you." Quinn introduced herself. Brittany smiled and nodded at the blonde. "I didn't know that you were looking for a roommate." Quinn said questioningly, turning to look at Santana.

Santana shrugged. "Brittany was looking for a place to stay and I could use the company."

"I'm glad you decided to join us tonight. Santana can't shut up about you." Mercedes said as she gave Brittany a hug. Brittany looked over Mercedes's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Santana. The brunette blushed furiously and lowered her gaze to her feet, making a mental note to kill Mercedes later.

"And that leaves me. I'm Mike." Mike smiled, offering Brittany his hand. The blonde accepted it and shook it. "I'm Tina's husband. I heard the two of you already met."

"That's right. It's nice to see you again." Tina joined the conversation. Her eyes scanned Brittany's features with a hint of concern in them. "I'm glad that you're feeling better. You should probably take it easy though."

"Thanks." Brittany said, her cheeks heating up at all the attention directed towards her.

Santana couldn't help but smile at Tina's words. Tina was probably the most caring person she knew, always looking out for others. Santana looked around and noticed that Puck was nowhere to be found. "Where's your boyfriend?" She asked Quinn.

Quinn glanced at her watch. "He should come out any minute now to let us in through the backdoor."

The words hadn't even left her mouth yet when Puck suddenly appeared next to them. It had been a while since he had last seen Santana so he couldn't contain his excitement. Santana let out a startled yelp when she was suddenly being hoisted into the air. She slapped Puck on the shoulder. "Puckerman, put me down!"

"Sorry, I can't help it." Puck said as he lowered Santana back down to the ground. "It's been ages since we've last gone out together. I've missed you. You need to spend more time with us." He looked at Mercedes. "You too, 'Cedes."

"I know but work has been crazy lately." Mercedes explained.

Puck nodded in understanding. His eyes landed on Brittany before they shifted to Santana. He smirked. "You did good, Lopez." Quinn elbowed him in the ribs and he groaned, rubbing the sore area. "Hey, what was that for?"

Quinn shook her head in disbelief. "Sometimes I seriously wonder why you're my boyfriend."

"Brittany and I are just friends." Santana explained to Puck, feeling a twinge of sadness in her heart as she said the words. She forced herself to ignore it though. Having Brittany in her life as just a friend was better than not having her in her life at all.

Puck smiled and nodded at Brittany. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Puck. Shall we head inside?"

They all agreed and followed Puck as he led them into the club. It was packed with people and they had to fight their way to the bar. Mike offered to get them a drink and when it was time for Brittany to tell him her order, she bit her lip in hesitance. "I'll just have some water, please."

Puck led the rest of the group towards a private booth in the corner of the club. It was quieter in this area and they could actually communicate with each other without having to shout. It was one of the many pros of having a friend who owned a club. They all took a seat and Santana leaned in to whisper into Brittany's ear. "Are you not drinking?"

Brittany shook her head, an uneasy expression settling on her face. "I haven't drunk alcohol since, you know…" She trailed off and looked down at her hands.

Santana sighed and nodded sadly. Mike returned to the group and placed their drinks on the table before sitting down next to Tina. He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and looked around the group. "So, what has everyone been up to?"

"Work." Santana and Mercedes replied simultaneously.

Mike smiled in amusement. "What's been keeping you so busy?"

"Will recently signed up with a new artist so we've mostly been working with her." Mercedes said, unable to keep the hint of bitterness out of her voice. "Luckily we're halfway done with writing so we'll be able to move onto the recording process soon."

"It sounds like you don't like her very much." Tina commented.

Mercedes just scoffed and took a sip from her drink. Santana rolled her eyes. "Jordan can be a little… controlling."

"Understatement of the year!" Mercedes almost yelled. "She's lazy and never on time. She acts like she knows everything better than me while I've been in this business a lot longer than she has. You'd expect her to take my advice but no, that little…"

"Okay, calm down, we get it." Quinn stopped her before she could continue.

"I don't think that she's that bad." Santana said with a shrug.

Mercedes raised her eyebrows in disbelief and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you kidding me? You hate everyone but you like Jordan?"

Santana simply shrugged again.

"Is she at least hot?" Puck asked, earning another elbow in the ribs from Quinn. He shot her an apologetic look and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek. "I'm sorry, babe." Quinn's features softened and Puck smiled in victory. He turned to look at Santana again. "Well?"

"What?"

"Is she hot?" Puck repeated his question.

"Kind of." Santana replied, throwing a glance at Brittany when she felt the blonde fidget in the seat beside her. Brittany was staring straight ahead so Santana couldn't catch her eyes. The expression on her face was unreadable, her jaw clenched and her brow slightly furrowed.

"I can't wait for her to be gone." Mercedes continued, regaining Santana's attention.

The brunette sighed in annoyance. "I seriously think that you're overreacting. I've only talked to her alone once but she was actually really nice."

"Let me guess, she needed something from you?" Mercedes asked, leaning back in her seat.

"No, she offered to go out and have lunch together because I forgot to bring some. My lunch break was almost over so I couldn't leave but we agreed on a rain check." Santana told her calmly. She heard Brittany mumble something under her breath and turned her head to look at her. The blonde was gripping her glass so tightly that Santana was afraid that it would break. She frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

Brittany's head shot up in surprise and she offered Santana a weak smile. "Yes, but I have to go to the bathroom."

She slid out of her seat and walked away with quick steps before Santana had the chance to respond. Santana followed her with her eyes, wondering what the reason behind her sudden change in mood was. She contemplated whether or not she should go after the blonde but decided against it. Brittany would've asked her if she had wanted her to come.

"How are things going at your studio?" Quinn's voice pulled Santana from her thoughts. She sighed and tried to listen as Mike enthusiastically started to ramble about the dance studio he owned. Santana loved how passionate he was about his profession. It didn't take long for her to zone out though. She wanted Brittany to return.

Luckily, Brittany returned a few minutes later, looking a lot less tense than before. She smiled at Santana as she sat down next to her. Santana sighed in relief and returned the smile. She tried to focus on Mike's words but found it even harder with Brittany sitting so close to her.

"Speaking of dancing," Mike suddenly stood up, holding his hand out to Tina. "Mrs. Chang, would you accompany me to the dance floor?"

"Of course, Mr. Chang." Tina giggled, allowing Mike to pull her to her feet. They smiled at the group and quickly made their way to the dance floor. A few minutes later, Quinn and Puck disappeared to the dance floor as well and Mercedes left to go 'man hunting' as she called it, leaving Brittany and Santana alone.

"Are you having a good time?" Santana asked, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm.

Brittany nodded and took a sip from her water before answering, "Your friends are nice."

"I'm glad you think so. I can tell that they love you already." Santana said, smiling widely when Brittany's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Seeing Brittany blush was one of the most adorable things ever. "Do you want to go dancing too?"

Brittany bit her lip. "I don't know, San."

"Come on, it'll be fun." Santana tried to convince her. Brittany shook her head and went to take another sip from her drink but Santana took the glass from her and put it down on the table while grabbing her other hand. "Your dance moves can't possibly be worse than mine."

A small smile formed on Brittany's lips and she stopped resisting. Santana led her onto the dance floor and started moving her body to the beat. Brittany stood there for a few seconds before she started copying Santana's movements, quickly growing more confident. As she lost herself in the music, she turned around so that her back was pressed against Santana's front. Santana gulped, suddenly feeling a million degrees hotter than before, and placed her hands on the blonde's waist. She rolled her hips hard, following the rhythm of the song, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Santana couldn't even describe what was happening. Her throat went dry as Brittany swiftly moved down her body, dragging her hands along her sides in the process. It felt like she was isolated from the world, only aware of this moment and the desire building inside of her. Hit by a sudden wave of boldness, she spun Brittany around so that they were dancing face to face. She dragged her fingertips up and down Brittany's arms, touching her soft skin gently, never breaking eye contact with her piercing blue eyes. Her hands finally settled on Brittany's hips and she pulled the girl closer. She didn't know if it was the alcohol running through her veins or the intense music but the heat slowly building in the pit of her stomach was making her body want more, so much more.

Santana flushed, ashamed by how turned on she was, and quickly created some distance between them. It must've been evident on her face because Brittany's smile disappeared as her features twisted into disappointment. She lowered her eyes in embarrassment, thinking she did something wrong, and took a step backwards.

"I-I'll go get us another drink." She stammered, her voice barely audible over the loud music. Santana opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came out. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, watching as Brittany disappeared into the crowd. It took a few minutes before her body started working again and she slowly walked away from the dance floor.

Quinn was sitting in their booth by herself and she looked up when Santana slipped into a seat. "Where's Brittany?"

"I don't know." Santana mumbled, crossing her arms on the table and resting her chin on her forearms. She didn't know what Brittany was thinking right now but judged by the expression on her face earlier, it probably wasn't anything good. Santana was afraid that she had scared her off for good with her teenage behavior. She groaned. "I'm such an idiot."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked, confused. Santana snapped her eyes up to her friend, momentarily having forgotten that she was there. Quinn carefully scanned Santana's features and a knowing smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Did something happen with Brittany?"

"No." Santana said defensively, lifting her head off her arms. "Why would you think that?"

Quinn smiled softly. "I know you, San. I can tell that you like her."

Santana wanted to protest but she realized that Quinn would see right through her anyway. She sighed and nervously fiddled with the bracelet around her wrist. "I wish that I didn't."

"Why?" Quinn frowned. She moved around the booth so that they were sitting next to each other. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Santana mumbled, slumping further into her seat. She didn't have an answer to Quinn's question. She had stopped dancing with Brittany before things got out of control but she couldn't help but feel ashamed of the way she had acted. Maybe she was just overreacting but, "It doesn't matter anyway. She's straight."

"I'm pretty sure she likes you too." Quinn said softly. Santana looked at her skeptically so she continued. "I can tell by the way she looks at you. She hasn't had attention for anyone other than you since we've been here."

Santana shook her head. "That's just because she's shy and she doesn't know the rest yet."

Quinn was silent as she processed Santana's words. She pursed her lips in thought. "Well, there's always a way to find out." The blonde finally said. Santana sighed and turned in her seat to face her, waiting for her to elaborate. She did. "Brittany was obviously jealous when you were talking about Jordan earlier. Why don't-…"

"No, she wasn't." Santana interrupted her.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "She was jealous, Santana. Trust me."

"Okay, I don't think she was but, what's your point?"

"Why don't you go out with Jordan and see how Brittany reacts to it? If she likes you, you'll know soon enough." Quinn suggested with twinkling eyes, obviously very satisfied with her own idea.

Santana stared at the blonde for a few seconds, scanning every inch of her face to see if she was being serious or not. Finally, she huffed out a laugh. "Are you kidding me, Quinn? In all our years of friendship this is the worst advice you have ever given me."

Quinn narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to protest when Brittany approached the booth. She smiled timidly and handed Santana her drink. "I didn't know what you wanted so Puck suggested this."

Santana took it from her and nodded gratefully. "Thanks. This is just what I needed." She said before tipping the glass back and gulping it down.

"Whoa, slow down." Quinn mumbled.

"Where's Puck anyway?" Santana asked, ignoring her comment. She glanced at Brittany who was sitting opposite of her and noticed how her pale skin was shimmering with a thin layer of sweat. The brunette unconsciously licked her lips and pressed her thighs together.

"He's helping behind the bar. He said he'd be back soon." Quinn explained, playing with the straw in her glass. Her eyes landed on Mike who approached them and she offered him a small smile. "Hey, Mike."

"Hello, ladies." Mike said, tipping his hat. He leaned against the wall and tucked his hands into his pocket, crossing his feet at his ankles. "I saw you dancing out there, Brittany."

Brittany's cheeks flushed pink and she mumbled, "Oh."

"You're a natural. You should stop by my studio sometime." He said. Brittany looked unsure but she gave him a small smile in reply. Mike grinned and offered her his hand. "Dance with me? Tina has abandoned me for Mercedes."

"Aw, poor you." Quinn smirked, laughing when Mike place his hand over his heart, feigning heartbreak.

Brittany looked at Santana. The brunette smiled and gave her an encouraging nod so she took Mike's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Brittany glanced over her shoulder and found Santana's eyes one more time before she disappeared out of sight.

"I told you so." Quinn said in a sing-songy voice. "She's definitely into you."

Santana shot her a glare. "Just shut up, Fabray." She stood up. "I'm going to get another drink."

* * *

Brittany danced with Mike for what seemed like forever. She was having the time of her life. When they finally began to make their way back to their friends, Mike placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly. "Are you sure that you're not secretly a professional dancer?"

"I'm not _that_ good." Brittany laughed softly, blushing slightly.

They reached their friends and sat down at the table. Santana looked up from her drink and Brittany instantly noticed how dazed her eyes were. She scooted closer to the older girl and wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing it briefly and leaning down to speak into her ear. "You're drunk."

"Jusss' a little." Santana slurred, holding up her thumb and index finger to indicate a small amount. She reached out for her drink but accidently knocked it off the table. Giggling, she mumbled an apologetic, "Oops."

"Don't break my stuff, Lopez." Puck told her from across the table.

"I should probably get her home." Brittany said, tightening her grip around Santana's slim waist. She smiled when the brunette mumbled something incoherently, resting her head on Brittany's shoulder.

"Will you be okay?" Tina asked, not bothering to look up as she was too distracted by Mike who was trailing kisses down her neck.

Brittany nodded and slowly helped Santana to her feet. Santana gripped onto Brittany's dress as she swayed from side to side, leaning most of her weight against Brittany. The blonde exchanged a few words of goodbye with the rest of the group before she urged Santana out of the booth.

They stumbled through the club and Brittany struggled to keep them both upright, focusing hard on every step she took. She hailed a cab and carefully helped Santana climb into the backseat. The ride home was silent. Brittany kept checking on Santana to see if she was alright and hadn't fallen asleep.

When they reached the apartment, Santana fumbled with her keys, trying to get the door open. Brittany gently took them from her and unlocked the door. Santana stumbled inside and Brittany quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, steadying her against the wall. She closed the door and locked it before guiding Santana towards the bedroom. She sat the brunette down on the bed and walked towards the dresser, grabbing some sleep clothes.

"You need to get changed." She whispered as she returned to Santana's side. Santana gave her a barely visible nod and lifted her arms in the air. Brittany laughed softly. "You're wearing a dress, San. You'll have to stand up."

Santana looked confused and let her arms drop to her sides. Brittany gently pulled her to her feet and unzipped her dress, helping her step out of it. She held her breath and tried to keep her eyes from roaming over Santana's flawless body as she pulled a shirt over the brunette's head. A sniffle caught Brittany's attention and her brow creased in concern. "Are you crying?"

"I hate the world." Santana whimpered, looking up at Brittany with tear-filled eyes.

"Why is that?" Brittany asked gently. She helped the shorter girl step into a pair of shorts before she guided her back to the bed, sitting her down again.

Santana wiped under her nose, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "It's not fair! You're so nice and- they- you- I just don't get it!"

Brittany knelt down in front of her and placed her hands on her thighs. "What do you mean?" She asked softly.

"How could they be so cruel to you?" Santana almost shouted. Her face contorted and she briefly closed her eyes, tears escaping her lashes and rolling down her cheeks. "You are the sweetest person I know and I hate that you've been hurt so much. It's… it's just not fair!"

"Shh." Brittany gently shushed the girl. She felt her heart soar, knowing how upset Santana was over this. She reached up and wiped the moisture off Santana's cheeks with the pads of her thumbs before she let her hands fall to Santana's thighs again. "Please don't be sad over something that you can't change. It's in the past. It doesn't matter now."

Santana sighed. "But I feel so horrible. I wish there was something that I could do."

"You're already doing so much for me. I haven't been this happy in years." Brittany told her softly. She suddenly realized that Santana's face was only inches away from her own and she quickly removed her hands. Her heart rate sped up as her eyes bore into Santana's warm brown ones, leaving her feeling light-headed and at a loss for words.

Santana closed her eyes and leaned in. Before her lips could connect with Brittany's, a wave of nausea washed over her and she quickly pulled back. "Move." She mumbled out, pushing Brittany away and sprinting towards the bathroom.

She dropped on her knees in front of the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. She felt a hand smooth her hair back into a pony tail before it trailed down her back where it started drawing large comforting circles. Santana dry heaved another time before she rested her temple against the toilet seat, turning her head to Brittany.

"I'll get you some water." Brittany whispered, pouting at the miserable look on Santana's face. She returned with a glass of water barely 30 seconds later and handed it to Santana who drained it greedily. Brittany slowly pulled Santana to her feet and helped her clean up before they made their way back into the bedroom.

She guided Santana to the bed and pulled back the covers so that the brunette could crawl underneath them. She quickly got changed herself before crawling into bed on the other side. Santana snuggled into her, draping an arm over her waist and resting her head on her shoulder. "G'night, Britt-Britt." She mumbled against her skin.

Brittany smiled softly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Sweet dreams, Santana."

* * *

_A/N: Guys, don't worry about Jordan too much. ;) I like my Brittana together. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi guys, sorry for the long wait. Things have been kind of hectic at college but here I am with the next chapter. It's kind of short but the next one will be longer. _

_I have to say this. The Quarterback was absolutely beautiful. I'm so proud of the cast & crew, they did an amazing job. I was crying the whole time. Cory will forever be in our hearts. _

_Now on with the story._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

* * *

**Chapter 5.**

The first thing Santana registered was the pounding in her head. There was a weight on her chest and her mouth felt dry. She blearily cracked her eyes open and blinked heavily as they were instantly assaulted by the bright sunlight shining into the room. She groaned tiredly and looked down, finding Brittany fast asleep and sprawled over her, legs tangled together, head resting on her chest. She smiled and brushed some of the messy hair out of Brittany's face.

Brittany stirred and lifted her head, looking at Santana with tired blue eyes. "Hi."

"Hey." Santana whispered back.

"How are you feeling?" Brittany asked groggily as she rolled off Santana, stretching her arms out above her head. "You were pretty sick last night."

"Don't remind me." Santana cringed as blurry images of her hovering over the toilet bowl flashed in her mind. "It's so embarrassing. I'm not always such a lightweight. I don't know what happened."

"It wasn't that bad." Brittany smiled softly. She climbed out of bed and ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to smooth it down. "Why don't you take a shower? I'll make you some coffee."

"Yes, please. I need caffeine to function." Santana replied, flipping the covers off herself and unsteadily pulling herself into a standing position. She grabbed some clothes to change into and looked at Brittany before entering the bathroom, "Hey, Britt? Thank you for taking care of me last night."

"Anytime." Brittany beamed at her. Santana felt her heart flutter in her chest and she quickly made her way into the bathroom. Brittany sighed sadly. She wondered how much Santana remembered from last night. The almost-kiss they had shared confused her. She wanted it to mean something but Santana had been drunk and obviously wasn't thinking clearly. Brittany knew that she had to bring it up and that thought made her beyond nervous.

Ten minutes later, a freshly showered Santana shuffled into the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen counter and buried her face in her hands. She peeked between her fingers when a cup of coffee was placed in front of her and she smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

Brittany nodded. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little. Aren't you having anything?" Santana asked, taking a sip from her coffee. Brittany just hummed and drummed her fingers on the counter distractedly. Her eyes were distant and she appeared to be deep in thought. Santana's face fell. "Britt?"

"Do you want something to eat?" Brittany asked in response.

Santana frowned. "Okay, you're acting really weird. Did something happen while I was in the shower? Are you grossed out with me because of all the puking I did last night?"

Brittany's lips quirked up into a small. "No. I told you that it's fine."

"Okay," Santana drawled, her eyes searching Brittany's curiously. "Then why are you so tense? Is there something on your mind? You can tell me."

Brittany's smile widened as Santana continued to fire off questions at her. She turned around and grabbed a mug from the cabinet, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "How much do you still remember from last night?" She asked timidly, facing Santana again.

Santana's brow furrowed in concentration. "Did I do something to make a fool out of myself?" Her eyes widened. "Oh my God, did I cry?"

"You might have." Brittany replied, grinning at the horrified expression on Santana's face. A wave of disappointment washed over her when she realized that Santana didn't remember what happened, or almost happened, between them. She shrugged it off and changed her expression into a blank one. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Do you want something to eat?"

Santana's frown deepened and she adjusted the grip on her mug. "Sure." She told Brittany softly.

Brittany opened the fridge and took out everything she needed. Santana sipped her coffee and watched in silence as Brittany prepared breakfast. A few minutes later, she placed a bowl of cereal in front of her and Santana again nodded gratefully, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Brittany told her sweetly. "What are your plans for today?"

"I was thinking that we should go shopping." Santana replied, scooping some cereal into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before continuing, "I really don't mind you borrowing my clothes but I can imagine that it'd be nice to have some of your own."

Brittany tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and averted her gaze away from Santana. "I don't have any money." She said quietly, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "I need a job first."

"Don't worry, I'll pay." Santana told her with a nonchalant shrug.

Brittany sighed and raised her hands to briefly massage her temples. "I can't let you do that, Santana."

"Why not?" Santana asked. "Like I said, I don't mind sharing my clothes but your legs are longer than mine so my pants are too short for you. People will start looking at you weirdly."

Brittany pursed her lips in thought. "I don't care. I'll just tell them that my socks are too long."

"…That doesn't make any sense." Santana smiled and shook her head in amusement. She dropped her spoon in her bowl and looked at Brittany with pleading eyes. "Please, Britt, just let me do this for you."

Brittany chewed on her bottom lip for a second before replying, "Fine but I insist on paying you back."

"Okay." Santana agreed, satisfied. "We should also look into getting you a health insurance and opening up a bank account." She waited for Brittany to nod before continuing. "And Mike texted me earlier. He really wants you to stop by his studio when you can."

"He did?" Brittany asked in surprise. Santana nodded her confirmation. Brittany hummed and scratched the back of her neck thoughtfully. "I didn't think that he was being serious. Can you tell him that I'll stop by after the weekend?"

"Sure." Santana whipped her phone out of pocket. She quickly replied to Mike's text before shoving it back into her pocket and focusing her attention on Brittany again. "It's probably a good idea to get you a phone as well."

Brittany sighed. "Yeah, probably."

* * *

"Now all we have to do is make a selection of songs you want to be on your album." Santana said that Monday afternoon, spinning in her chair to face Jordan who was busy messing with her guitar. "Then we can start recording."

"Sounds good to me." Jordan smiled. She hopped off her stool and put her guitar away. "So, how about we go get some lunch? You promised me a rain check."

Santana thought for a second but then nodded once. "Sure. Do you want to join us, 'Cedes?"

Mercedes looked up from her work and shot her a glare. "No, thank you."

Santana just shrugged. She grabbed her coat and purse before following Jordan outside. It was cold and snowing lightly. The weather reminded Santana that Christmas was coming up soon and she made a mental note to call her mom later. She always headed back to Lima for the Holidays to spend time with her family. Her thoughts wandered to Brittany and a painful ache settled in her chest when she realized that the blonde probably had nowhere to go. She wondered if her parents would be okay with Santana bringing her along.

"Where do you want to go?" Jordan's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"I know a nice place." Santana replied, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "We can take my car."

A while later, they were sitting in the restaurant that Santana had picked out with a plate of food in front of them. Their conversation flowed really easily and Santana had to admit that Jordan was a nice girl with a good sense of humor. She couldn't picture anything more than friendship happening between them though. Santana kept catching herself comparing all the things Jordan did to Brittany. The blue eyed blonde was constantly on her mind and she couldn't stand it.

Santana had never been the type to lead girls on so she decided to be honest with Jordan about it.

"Jordan," She began in a serious tone, earning a confused look from Jordan, "I think you're an amazing person but I figured that I should just let you know beforehand that I, uh…"

"You have feelings for somebody else." Jordan finished the sentence for her.

Santana's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "How did you know?"

"It's pretty obvious that your mind is somewhere else right now." Jordan explained, smiling softly. "Don't worry about it, Santana. Whoever the reason is behind that dreamy look on your face should consider themselves lucky."

"Thanks, Jordan." Santana said, a light blush tinting her cheeks. "We can still be friends, right?"

"Of course. You won't get rid of me that easily." Jordan replied playfully. She leaned back in her seat and continued in a more serious tone. "So, does this person feel the same way about you?"

Santana sighed and distractedly moved the salad around on her plate. "I don't know." She mumbled. Another sigh escaped her lips and she put her fork down. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that she's straight."

"But you're not certain." Jordan concluded. "You'll never know if you don't try. It sounds like you really care about this girl and you might regret it later if you don't take action now. Just ask her out. It's not that difficult."

"But it is." Santana protested. "She's living with me. Things will become incredibly awkward if she says no. I don't want that to happen."

"It's in your own hands whether or not things become awkward. You're both adults. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure things out." Jordan said calmly.

Santana was silent for a moment as she processed Jordan's words. Finally, she sighed once more. "You're making it sound so easy."

"That's because it is." Jordan smirked, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Instead of overthinking things too much, you might as well just ask her and put your mind at ease once and for all."

Santana knew that she was right but the possibility of getting rejected unsettled her too much. She groaned, annoyed with herself. "I don't know, Jordan."

"Why don't you ask her to Will's party?" Jordan suggested. Santana stared at her in confusion, not sure what she was talking about. "You know, for the ten year anniversary of Schuester's Records." The brunette explained. "It won't seem like a date but it still sort of will be."

"I forgot about that." Santana mumbled, deep in thought. "I guess it's a pretty good idea."

"It's an _excellent_ idea."

Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "I'll think about it. Thanks, Jordan."

"Anytime." Jordan smiled.

* * *

Santana felt exhausted when she arrived home later that day and she wanted nothing more than to put her feet up and relax in front of the television. She kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room, smiling when she spotted Brittany sprawled out on the couch fast asleep. There was no blanket covering her and she was shivering slightly.

Santana crouched down at Brittany's side and gently brushed some blonde locks away from her face, ignoring the flutter she felt in her chest when Brittany let out a content sigh at the touch. "Brittany." She whispered, her hand coming to rest on Brittany's shoulder. Blue eyes slowly fluttered open and she smiled softly. "Hey there."

Brittany's face lit up and she instantly seemed more awake. "Hi, San." She replied softly as she pulled herself upright. "How was work?"

"It was good, thank you. I got us dinner." Santana said as she sat down next to the blonde, placing a bag of Chinese food on the table. Brittany smiled and quickly stood up to get them some plates. "How were things with Mike?" Santana asked once Brittany had returned to her previous spot on the couch.

Brittany's eyes flicked up to her and a beaming smile threatened to break out onto her face as she quietly said, "He offered me a job. I took it."

"Britt, I'm so happy for you!" Santana cheered, setting her plate aside to pull Brittany into a bone-crushing hug. They pulled away and Santana smiled in adoration when Brittany shyly ducked her head at her enthusiasm. "Tell me everything."

"Fine." Brittany rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance. "Apparently Mike was really impressed by my dancing. I don't really know why because I've never had lessons or anything but Mike claims that I'm a natural. It makes me really happy to hear that because I love dancing. I've been doing it since I was little. I never thought that I was good enough to do anything with it though."

"Mike knows talent when he sees it." Santana commented, barely able to contain her excitement. "What kind of job did he offer you exactly?"

"I'll start out assisting him with teaching and if all goes well, I can start teaching some classes by myself." Brittany explained. "I'm so excited."

"This is great, Britt." Santana said, smiling widely. "We should do something to celebrate."

Brittany bit her lip. "Can we maybe just stay here and watch a movie or something? I'm kind of tired."

"Sure." Santana agreed.

They cleaned everything up and changed into some more comfortable clothes before settling on the couch again. Santana let Brittany pick the movie and she wasn't surprised when the blonde chose a Disney movie. Santana could only hope that her friends would never find out about her secret stash of Disney movies, knowing she would never see the end of it if they did.

Santana held her breath as Brittany snuggled into her. She already knew that Brittany loved cuddling but the close contact caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach every time. She exhaled slowly through her nose and relaxed, wrapping an arm around Brittany's waist as the blonde rested her head on her shoulder.

Santana had a hard time focusing with Brittany so close to her, her sweet scent invading her senses. Instead of watching the movie, she found herself watching Brittany's reactions. The way her eyes lit up when something funny happened or the way her brow creased when something sad happened was just too endearing.

Without thinking twice, she lifted her hand to gently run her fingers through soft blonde locks. Brittany hummed in approval and curled even closer into her. Santana smiled, her entire body buzzing with happiness as she lightly massaged Brittany's scalp. She didn't stop, not even when Brittany's breathing evened out, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

Santana would have been content to stay in this position for the rest of her life.

* * *

Santana must've dozed off at some point because she woke up to Brittany stirring in her sleep. All she knew was that her back was killing her. She cracked one eye open only to find blonde hair blurring her vision. Santana tried to move but Brittany tightened her arms around her, keeping her in place.

Smiling, Santana pushed Brittany's hair back, revealing her calm features. She checked her watch and saw that three hours had passed since they had turned on the movie. She carefully reached out for the remote control to turn off the TV before untangling herself from Brittany's arms to slip off the couch.

She quietly made her way into the bedroom to take a quick shower. Once she was finished with that, she grabbed her phone to call her mom as planned. She figured that it'd be best to discuss the option of Brittany tagging along for Christmas with her parents first, even though she was pretty sure that they wouldn't mind. The question was if Brittany would agree to it. The thought of leaving her behind really didn't sit well with Santana.

"Mija, I was just about to call you." Maribel answered the phone on the first ring. "How are you? We haven't spoken in a while."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I've been really busy with work." Santana apologized, gazing out of the window. "I was actually calling about Christmas. I will book my flight tomorrow, when are you expecting everyone?"

"Your sister and Joshua will be arriving on Friday the 20th." Maribel informed her. "I'm so excited to have you all home again."

Santana smiled at her mom's words. It was rare for everyone in the family to get together at the same time with them living so far away from each other. She listened to her mom's rambling for a while before she finally found a chance to say something. "Hey mami, there's actually something I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead, mija."

"It's a long story but I have a roommate since recently." Santana began, glad when her mom didn't interrupt. "Her name is Brittany. It's not my place to tell you but she's going through some things right now and she doesn't really have anywhere to spend the Holidays."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Nobody should be alone on Christmas." Maribel muttered sadly.

"Exactly. Especially not someone like Brittany." Santana agreed whole-heartedly. "I've only known her for a while but she's such an amazing person. I really don't want her to be in the city alone with no one to celebrate with."

"I understand, mija. She's welcome to stay with us." Maribel replied.

Santana sighed in relief. "Are you sure?"

Maribel hummed in confirmation. "Of course. I don't see why not. The more the merrier. Brittany sounds like a lovely girl and we have plenty of room. Use your father's credit card to buy the tickets."

"Thanks, mami. I haven't exactly discussed it with her yet but I'll let you know as soon as possible."

They continued to chat for another thirty minutes or so before Santana put her phone away again. She returned to the living room where Brittany was now sitting upright with her legs crossed, reading a book. Santana walked over to her and ruffled her hair. "Hey there, sleepy head."

Brittany blushed and ducked her head to dodge Santana's hand.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Santana said softly as she took a seat next to Brittany. "Two things actually."

Brittany instantly looked alarmed and she put her book down. "What is it?"

"Well, as you probably know Christmas is coming up and…" Santana paused to take a deep breath. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so nervous. "I'll be heading back to Lima to celebrate with my family."

"That's nice, San." Brittany said with a small smile.

Santana nodded. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to come with me. My parents are fine with it and I'd really like to spend Christmas with you." She admitted shyly, nervously adverting her gaze to her lap. When Brittany didn't say anything, Santana took this as a bad sign. She quickly scrambled to fix it. "You don't _have_ to, of course. I'd never pressure you into anything. I just thought it'd be nice. My parents are paying for our tickets so you don't have to worry about that."

The smile on Brittany's face widened as she listened to Santana's words. "That's really sweet, San. I'd really like to spend Christmas with you too. Are you sure that your parents are okay with it?"

"Positive." Santana reassured her, lifting her head to meet her eyes. "Is that a yes?"

Brittany gave her a small nod in reply. "I can't wait to see where you grew up."

"Don't expect too much." Santana told her. "Lima is the most boring town ever."

"Knowing you, you're probably exaggerating." Brittany teased. "So, what else did you want to talk to me about?"

Santana instantly felt all the tension return to her body. She mentally cursed herself for being such a nervous wreck. It was just Brittany she was talking to, or maybe that was the problem, Brittany wasn't _just _some girl. She swallowed thickly and rubbed her sweaty palms together.

"My boss is having a party and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me." She rushed out in one breath. "It's nothing too formal. Just a simple celebration with everyone from work but it'd be awesome if you could make it."

Brittany was silent for a few seconds before she asked, "A party?"

Santana nodded anxiously. "A party."

Brittany licked her lips and looked ready to ask her something but then decided against it at the last moment. She shifted in her seat. "That sounds like fun."

"Mercedes and Jordan will be there too." Santana added, not entirely sure why. She noticed how Brittany's features instantly twisted into an unreadable expression and she frowned in confusion. "Britt?"

Brittany was silent for another moment before she flashed Santana a smile. "Sure, I'd love to go."


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for all the reviews/alerts! :D Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 6.**

It was late at night when Santana and Brittany got home. Santana jumped in surprise when Brittany slammed the door shut behind them. She frowned and followed the blonde as she stormed past her, kicking her heels off in the process. They had just gotten back from Will's party and Santana wasn't exactly sure what was happening right now. The ride back had been awkward to say the least and she was pretty sure that Brittany was mad at her, which was surprising considering her usual calm personality.

Santana slowly took off her coat before walking up to Brittany who was rummaging through her purse at the table. "What's going on?" She asked tentatively. This wasn't how she had been expecting things to go. She had been planning on admitting her feelings to Brittany at the party but instead she had chickened out again and now Brittany was ignoring her and she had no idea why. It was embarrassing how bad she was at this.

Santana sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Brittany." She said, finally getting the blonde to look up at her. She stared into blue eyes for a moment, taking in the unfamiliar emotion she saw in them. "What did I do? I can't read minds so please just tell me so I can fix it."

"You-…" Brittany began but then trailed off, shaking her head and averting her gaze away once more. Santana let out another frustrated sigh and grabbed Brittany's hand, stilling the nervous fidgeting. They made eye-contact again and a moment of silence passed before Brittany finally spoke. "You were flirting with Jordan all night."

Santana blinked. "What?"

Brittany pulled her hand out of Santana's grasp and turned away from her. "Never mind. I'm going to bed." She said so softly that Santana almost missed it.

It took a moment before Santana's mind registered Brittany's words but when it did, she was quick to follow her. She cut off Brittany's path by stepping in front of her. "Don't walk away from me, Brittany." Her voice sounded stern but gentle. "Talk to me."

"No, just forget I said anything." Brittany mumbled. Her eyes were focused anywhere but on Santana's face. "It's none of my business who you want to date."

"I don't want to date Jordan!" Santana exclaimed. Sure she had spent a lot of time with her friend tonight but that was only because she had been such a nervous mess. Brittany's behavior was confusing her. She was acting like a jealous girlfriend and Santana didn't know whether to like it or not. All she knew is that she felt the need to defend herself. "But you're right. Why _does_ it matter to you?"

Brittany nervously wrung her hands together as she shifted from foot to foot. "Because it made me feel sad." She admitted softly, looking very uncomfortable.

Santana's demeanor instantly softened. She dipped her head down so she could see Brittany's face more clearly. "Why?"

"Because…" Brittany sighed, frustrated by how hard this was, and briefly let her eyes flutter shut. She opened them again a second later and decided to just say it. "I like you, Santana, a lot. And for a moment I thought that maybe you liked me too but apparently you don't so let's just forget about this."

Santana's eyes studied Brittany's features intently. "You like me?" She asked, barely able to suppress a wide smile when she received a small, barely visible, nod in response. Brittany wanted to walk away again but Santana quickly grabbed hold of her arm to stop her from doing so. "Why do you think that the feelings aren't mutual?"

"We almost kissed." Brittany blurted out. Her eyes hesitantly flickered up to meet Santana's confused ones. "After we went to that club. You forgot it happened so it clearly didn't mean anything to you." She sighed and pressed a hand against her forehead, as if she was trying to get her thoughts in order. "It's okay, Santana. I wouldn't be interested in a screw-up like me either if I were you."

Santana's brow furrowed as Brittany brushed past her, heading into the bedroom. "Britt, hold up." She called, following the blonde once again. "I do remember."

Brittany stopped dead in her tracks at her confession. She slowly turned around to face Santana. "You do?" She asked unsurely. Santana rubbed a hand over her face and nodded once. Brittany narrowed her eyes at the shorter girl. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wasn't sure if it really happened or that I just made it up in my mind." Santana replied sheepishly. "Things are kind of blurry and it seemed too good to be true."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Brittany's lips. "That's stupid."

Santana huffed out a laugh. "I know."

"So you do like me?" Brittany asked in a small voice, uncertainty written all over her features.

"Does this answer your question?" Santana asked as she took a step forwards, her gaze never leaving Brittany's. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she placed a shaky hand on Brittany's cheek. Suddenly there was no space left and their noses brushed together before their lips collided. Brittany stood frozen for a moment but then relaxed, placing her hands on Santana's hips and kissing her back just as eagerly.

It was better than anything Santana had ever imagined. Brittany's lips were soft and gentle against her own and she decided that this was her new favorite feeling. Her fingers trailed up the spine of Brittany's neck, playing with the soft hairs at the base. Brittany angled her head to the side and swiped her tongue across Santana's bottom lip, requesting entry. Santana willingly obliged and she couldn't help but whimper softly when their tongues brushed against each other.

She pushed Brittany backwards until the blonde's legs hit the edge of the bed and she fell back on it, pulling Santana with her. Santana pulled away from Brittany's lips and started to trail kisses down her neck, sucking on the skin and swirling her tongue over it. Brittany let out a soft moan, "Santana."

Santana smiled and lifted her head to capture Brittany's lips with her own again. Her hand slowly slid under Brittany's top and skimmed lightly across Brittany's smooth skin. Pale fingers suddenly curled around her wrist, stopping it from moving any further. Santana pulled back to meet Brittany's gaze. "What's wrong?"

Brittany smiled reassuringly and tucked a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. "As much as I enjoy doing this," She said, giving Santana another peck on the lips. "we should talk first."

Santana propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at Brittany, her eyes tracing the light dusting of freckles on her nose and flushed cheeks. "You're so beautiful, Britt." She whispered. Brittany's cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red and Santana chuckled softly. "You're cute when you blush."

"Santana!" Brittany whined, squirming under Santana's weight.

Santana smirked and pressed a kiss to Brittany's nose. "Okay, fine. We'll talk." She said, still unmoving. Brittany nodded but didn't say anything. Santana raised an eyebrow at her. "So talk, woman."

"I don't know what to say." Brittany shrugged.

Santana laughed and finally rolled off her. "You're impossible."

"But you still like me."

"I do." Santana smiled softly, tilting her head to meet Brittany's sparkling eyes. "I like you a lot, Britt. More than I've ever liked anyone before. I have since the moment we met."

"Why did you never say anything?" Brittany asked, turning onto her side so that their faces were only inches apart.

Santana chewed on her bottom lip and thought for a second before shrugging. "I was pretty much convinced that you were straight. And besides that, we're really close friends and I didn't want to scare you away or something like that. I'm sorry."

Brittany shook her head. "Don't apologize."

"So are you bisexual or…?" Santana asked after a moment of hesitation.

"I don't know honestly." Brittany said softly. "I don't really want to label myself. All I'm sure of is that I like people. You most of all."

Santana smiled and leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. "What happens now?"

"Let's take things slow and see where we end up." Brittany told her. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds perfect to me." Santana murmured, lightly brushing her lips against Brittany's. She didn't think she'd ever get over how right it felt, them being like this. Her heart-rate sped up when she felt Brittany press her lips harder against hers as they molded together like two puzzle pieces that had finally found each other.

Brittany's hand found its way to Santana's cheek, pulling her in deeper. They didn't break apart until they were in desperate need of oxygen and rested their foreheads together. "We were supposed to take things slow." Brittany said, trying to catch her breath.

"I know." Santana replied, brushing some rebellious strands of hair out of Brittany's face. "Let me take you out on a date tomorrow."

Brittany's smile lit up the whole room. "I'd love to, San."

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Brittany asked curiously, looking out of the car window. She had no idea where they were headed. Santana hadn't told her anything besides making sure that she was dressed warm enough.

"It's a surprise." Santana said, smiling at the adorable pout on Brittany's face.

"Fine." Brittany grumbled. She reached out to turn on the radio, toying with the knobs before finally settling on a channel. Santana smiled as Brittany turned up the volume and started to dance in her seat. She watched for a moment and chuckled in amusement. Brittany caught her gaze, beaming happily. "What? I really like this song."

"I hadn't noticed." Santana said, a grin spreading across her face.

A little while later, the car came to a stop and Brittany took in her surroundings. She couldn't help the huge smile from breaking out on her face. "Ice-skating?" She asked, looking at Santana who was nervously waiting for a reaction.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, is that okay? We can go somewhere else if you want to."

"It's perfect, San." Brittany assured her.

Santana sighed in relief. She got out of the car and quickly ran over to Brittany's side to open the door for her. "Who knew you were such a gentlewoman." Brittany joked, taking Santana's hand and allowing her to pull her to her feet.

"I try." Santana replied, shooting her a playful wink. She locked the car and they began to make their way to the ice rink. It was an outdoor rink and although she was dressed in warm winter clothes, Santana was still freezing. Her eyes landed on a stand where you could buy food and drinks. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Hot chocolate, please." Brittany replied happily. While Santana waited for her order, Brittany went to get them both a pair of rental skates. After a few minutes of waiting, Santana made her way back to the blonde and handed one of the cups. Brittany thanked her and they watched as people skated across the ice while finishing their drinks.

"I've never done this before." Santana admitted nervously as she put on a pair of skates.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Brittany gave her an encouraging smile.

A few minutes later they were both ready to go. Brittany was the first one to step on the ice and Santana was surprised by how easily she kept her balance. The brunette inhaled deeply before stepping onto the ice as well. She almost slipped but Brittany reacted quickly and kept her upright by wrapping her arms around her waist. A warm feeling spread throughout Santana's body and for a moment she couldn't breathe. Brittany didn't let go of her until she was certain that she was steady on own. She smiled and watched as Santana began to move her feet, slowly but steadily moving across the ice.

"See it isn't so hard." Brittany commented, smiling proudly.

"I guess not." Santana replied, blushing a little. "How come you're so good at this?" She asked, noticing how easily she skated over the ice, even adding small spins every now and then.

"I used to go ice skating a lot when I was younger." Brittany explained. "My dad would take me to the rink almost every weekend."

Santana felt her heart ache at the sad expression on Brittany's face. She hesitated for a moment before letting curiosity get the best of her. "Do you think you'll ever want to reconnect with your parents?" She asked softly, feeling anger well up inside of her again as she thought of everything Brittany had been through.

Brittany looked down at the ice and let out a soft sigh. "No. I don't consider them my parents anymore. They kicked me out as if I meant nothing to them. Aren't you supposed to love your children no matter what?"

Santana nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Britt."

"It's not your fault." Brittany said, offering her a small smile. "Let's talk about happier things. I don't want to ruin our date."

Santana nodded in agreement. They continued to skate across the ice and chatted about nothing in particular. Santana kept getting distracted by how beautiful Brittany looked. She was dressed head-to-toe in winter clothing. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her long blonde hair was covered with a thin layer of snowflakes. It was adorable. Santana struggled to keep her eyes off of her. She still couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

Santana was so lost in thought that she forgot to pay attention. She suddenly made a misstep and once again found herself struggling to keep upright. Brittany reacted like a ninja and quickly wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. Santana felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes met Brittany's piercing blue ones.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked softly, tightening her grip. Santana just nodded. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Brittany spoke again. "I really want to kiss you right now."

Santana's lips curled up into a smile. "What are you waiting for?"

Brittany curled her hand around Santana's neck and slowly inched closer. Santana closed her eyes as she felt the blonde's breath tickling her skin. Normally she wasn't very fond of showing affection in public but at this moment Brittany was the only thing on her mind. Ever so gently, their lips brushed together in a short, sweet kiss. They pulled away and shared a smile before resuming their previous pace across the ice.

"So, do you have any siblings?" Brittany asked after a while.

"I have one sister, Sofia. You'll meet her when we head back to Lima for Christmas. She's married to an awesome guy named Joshua and they have a son together; Timothy." Santana explained. "I haven't seen them in a while so I'm excited."

Brittany smiled. "I can't wait to meet them."

They continued to skate until they're feet were starting to feel numb. After that, they grabbed some dinner at one of the burger stands and decided to head home. Brittany couldn't stop smiling. No one had ever made her feel as special as Santana did.

"Today was perfect, San. Thank you." She said as she rested her head on Santana's shoulder. They were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a movie. It was one of her favorite things to do, just relaxing with Santana without having anything to worry about.

"Anything for you." Santana mumbled without thinking twice. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what she had just said. She mentally kicked herself for turning into such a sap. Brittany just had that effect on her.

Brittany just let out a content sigh and snuggled a little closer. Everything still felt surreal to Santana. It turned out that Jordan had been right after all. She could've saved herself a lot of trouble if she had just talked to Brittany from the start. She shook her head at herself and kissed the top of Brittany's head. It didn't matter now. Things were just the way they were supposed to be.

* * *

The next couple of days passed by quickly. It was Friday and Santana and Brittany would be catching a flight to Lima tonight. Santana had spent hours at the mall to find the right gift for Brittany. She wanted this Christmas to be perfect. She hadn't been able to hang out with Brittany as much as she wanted to so she decided to surprise her with lunch at work today. It was a little past one when she walked into the studio and Mike greeted her enthusiastically. "Hey, Santana. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, work's been crazy." Santana replied with an apologetic smile. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Things are a lot less hectic here now that I have Brittany to help me out. She's a great addition to the team." Mike told her. "The students love her."

Santana couldn't help but smile at this. "I'm glad to hear that. Speaking of Brittany, where is she? I brought her lunch." She asked, holding up a bag of food.

Mike gave her some instructions and she thanked him. She walked through the long corridor and towards the studio. She spotted Brittany in the corner where she was sitting on the floor, furiously scribbling away in her notebook.

Brittany looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and a smile instantly found its way to her face. "Hey, San!"

"Hi." Santana returned the smile. "What's gotten you so busy?"

"I'm working on a choreography for a class of children below the age of 12." Brittany explained with twinkling eyes. "Mike's allowing me to teach them on my own after the hollidays."

Santana felt her heart flutter in her chest. It felt amazing to see Brittany this happy. "That's great, Britt. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Brittany said softly, a light blush instantly creeping onto her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Not that I'm not happy to see you but why are you here?"

"I brought you lunch." Santana said. "I can just drop it off and leave if you don't have time."

"No, I'd love to have lunch with you." Brittany replied, pulling herself to her feet. "Is it weird that I missed you even though we see each other every day?"

Santana shook her head, relieved that she wasn't the only one feeling that way. "Not at all. I missed you too, Britt."

Brittany smiled shyly. "Shall we head into my office and eat there?"

"You have your own office?" Santana asked. Brittany just nodded and began to lead her out of the studio. They made their way into the office that was located at the end of the corridor. It was pretty small with just a desk and a sofa but the decorations were clearly all Brittany's doing. "I'm glad that you're enjoying your job so much, Britt."

"I have you to thank for it." Brittany said as they took a seat on the sofa.

"That's not true. I might've helped you a little but in the end you did it all on your own. You just needed some support to bring out what's always been inside of you." Santana argued, pulling the chicken parmesan sandwiches out of the bag and handing one to Brittany

"Thanks." Brittany said. She took a bite and hummed in delight. "This is amazing. You're the best, San."

Santana smirked. "You speak the truth."

"So much for being modest." Brittany smiled. "How are things going at work?"

"Pretty good. It sucks that Mercedes and Jordan don't get along. It's annoying to be in the middle of their bitching." Santana sighed. "I'm picky when it comes to people but Mercedes is even worse."

Brittany pouted in sympathy. "Maybe you should try talking to her."

"Yeah, maybe." Santana agreed.

They finished eating and ended up sprawled out on the sofa, completely stuffed. Brittany groaned and clasped her hands together over her stomach, closing her eyes. "I don't think I'll be able to move for the rest of the day." She complained.

Santana chuckled and patted Brittany's hand. "You'll be fine, big baby." She said before leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "I should get back to work but I'll see you later, okay?" She asked as she got to her feet.

"Okay." Brittany mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. "Have you finished packing your suitcase yet?"

Santana pursed her lips. "Almost."

"You haven't even started yet, have you?" Brittany asked her knowingly. She tilted her head in amusement when Santana didn't reply. "Don't worry, there's still plenty of time." She reached out for Santana's hand and pulled her closer. The brunette got the message and leaned down to give her another kiss.

"I'll see you at home." She said after pulling away.

Brittany couldn't deny how good it felt to hear those words. "Okay, bye. Thanks for lunch."

"Anytime." Santana said before she stepped outside of the office.

* * *

It was about a midnight when their plane landed in Ohio. Santana could tell that Brittany was a little nervous to meet her family and she had spent the whole flight trying to reassure her that she'd be fine. They were currently waiting for their luggage and Santana took the time to shoot her father a quick text, informing him that they had arrived.

After what seemed like forever, their luggage was finally there and they were ready to head out. Santana shot Brittany a smile as they began to make their way into the arrival hall. They were greeted by a crowd of expectant faces and Santana stood on the tip of her toes to try and find her father.

It took a while but finally she spotted him. They walked up to him and the tall man immediately wrapped his arms around his daughter, hugging her tightly. Santana let out a content sigh, it felt good to be home.

"It's so good to see you, mija." He said as they pulled away. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, dad." Santana told him. She placed her hand on Brittany's shoulder. "This is Brittany."

Brittany smiled politely and stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lopez. Thanks for having me."

"Please call me Carlos." He said, ignoring her hand and pulling her into a hug instead. "And you're very welcome."

Brittany caught Santana's gaze over his shoulder and the brunette shot her an apologetic look. She knew that her parents could be a little overwhelming sometimes. Brittany just smiled at her. It felt nice to be welcomed this warmly and her nerves were put at ease a little.

"Are you ready to go?" Carlos asked. "Your mother is waiting for you."

Santana gave him an excited nod in reply. They made their way outside and got into the car. Santana looked at Brittany and was relieved to see that she was smiling. She could already tell that this week was going to be amazing.


	7. Chapter 7

_I apologize for taking ages to update. Life got in the way. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

* * *

**Chapter 7. **

By the time Carlos parked the car in front of the Lopez residence, Brittany and Santana were both struggling to stay awake as a result of the long trip. They had just lifted their luggage out of the trunk when a short, dark-haired woman walked across the yard towards them.

"Mija," She called, waving in their direction. Santana looked up in surprise. It was well past midnight by now so she hadn't excepted anyone to still be awake. Reaching them, she pulled Santana into a warm hug which she happily returned. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Hi, mami." Santana greeted her happily. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Maribel smiled. She pulled back and turned to Brittany. "And you must be Brittany."

"Yes, ma'am." Brittany confirmed, seeming a little nervous again.

"You don't have to call me ma'am, it makes me feel so old. It's Maribel." She pulled the blonde into a hug as well and smiled widely when they parted. "Girls, you'll have to share Santana's old bedroom. I hope that's not a problem."

"No worries." Santana assured her, her eyes finding Brittany's whose already rosy cheeks had turned an even brighter shade of red. "That's fine."

"Excellent." Maribel clasped her hands together. "Let's go inside."

They quietly rolled their suitcases into the house and as soon as they stepped inside the living room, Santana was pulled into a bone crushing hug by Joshua, knocking the breath out of her slender frame.

"I can't breathe!" She squeaked out, trying to get him to loosen his hold.

"I missed you." He said as he finally released his sister-in-law. "Timothy wanted to wait up for you too but he fell asleep."

"I'll see him tomorrow." Santana grinned at him. She turned to her sister who was standing next to Joshua and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Hi, Sofia."

"I'm so happy you're here." Sofia said, planting a kiss on Santana's cheek. "It's been way too long."

Brittany stood behind them, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot as she watched the interaction between the two siblings. Santana exchanged a few more words with Sofia and then put her hand on Brittany's shoulder, giving it an assuring squeeze as she said, "This is Brittany."

Sofia nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks for having me." Brittany said, her lips curling up into a shy smile.

Carlos waved his hand, dismissively. "You're welcome. We're happy to have you."

After spending some time getting acquainted with Santana's family, they all decided to call it a night and get some much needed rest. Brittany followed Santana upstairs and into her bedroom. It was exactly like she had expected it to be. The walls were dark and decorated with posters of several bands and musicians. The bed was big with dark sheets and a big pile of pillows. There were several pictures of a younger Santana. Most of them were with Tina from when they were in high school and there were some with Sofia as well.

Brittany put down her suitcase and let out a yawn, stretching her arms over her head. "Your family is nice."

"You say that now." Santana moved to stand behind Brittany and wrapped her arms around her waist. "They can be a handful, never knowing when to slow down." She pressed a kiss to her shoulder and let go of her, bending down to rummage through her suitcase in search of some sleep clothes. "You'll be dying for a moment of peace and quiet by the end of the week."

Brittany was silent for a long moment and then sighed. "I doubt it."

They quickly got ready for bed and crawled under the covers. Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana as Santana rested her head on her chest, their legs tangled together. The brunette let out a content sigh and cuddled a little closer. "I'm glad you agreed to come with me."

"Me too." Brittany whispered. Her fingers lazily trailed up and down Santana's bare arm, lulling her to sleep. "Shouldn't we tell your family that we're dating?" Her voice was calm but Santana detected a hint of worry in it.

She tilted her head up to meet Brittany's gaze, a small smile gracing her features. "We don't have to yet." She said softly, pressing a feather-light kiss to the underside of Brittany's jaw. "I know that you want to take things slow."

Brittany nodded but didn't say anything. Santana lowered her head back down and listened to the steady sound of her heart beating. She hadn't realized how empty her life was before she met Brittany but now everything felt complete. Her eyes fluttered closed as exhaustion began to overwhelm her. She heard Brittany's breathing even out and it wasn't long before she drifted off into sleep as well.

* * *

Brittany woke up to the sun shining brightly into the room. She tried to stretch but realized that she couldn't move because there was a warm body sprawled on top of hers. A smile found its way to her lips and she tiredly rubbed her eyes before opening them. Santana's face was only inches away from her own, her lips slightly parted as her breaths tickled the skin of Brittany's neck.

Words couldn't describe how lucky Brittany felt to have met Santana. Sometimes she still found it hard to believe that any of this was real, as if she could wake up any moment and be back out on the streets; cold, hungry and alone. It was strange to finally have some happiness in her life again after having felt nothing but emptiness for years.

She sighed and looked down at Santana's sleeping face. Her features were so calm and peaceful, her expression more delicate and vulnerable than Brittany had ever seen. Her hands were gentle as she brushed a strand of hair behind Santana's ear and tenderly traced her jawline with the pad of her thumb. She placed a soft kiss on her lips, smiling when her eyelids fluttered open, revealing brown orbs. "Good morning."

Santana mirrored the smile. "Good morning, beautiful." Brittany blushed at the compliment and averted her gaze away. Santana placed two fingers under her chin and turned her face back in her direction, kissing her softly. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long." Brittany replied softly. She looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and her eyes widened. "We slept for a long time. It's almost noon."

"So? Yesterday was a long day." Santana shrugged. She reluctantly rolled off Brittany and climbed out of bed, walking towards the window and drawing back the curtains. "It's snowing again. I bet Timothy is delighted."

"I can't wait to meet him. How old is he?"

"He's five." Santana answered the question, turning around to face Brittany who had gotten out of bed as well. "Do you want to go downstairs? I'm sure that he's up already."

"Is it okay if I shower first?"

"Of course." Santana told her. She crossed the room and came to a stop in front of the blonde, placing her hands on her shoulders and gazing into ocean blue eyes that made her heart flutter every time. "You said that you wanted to see where I grew up so I want to take you out for lunch."

Brittany tilted her head in confusion. "What does food have to do with your childhood?"

"Everything." Santana said with a smirk. "You'll see."

Brittany simply looked at her with a weird expression and gathered some clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Santana quickly got dressed and made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. To her surprise, only her dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

Carlos looked up. "Good morning to you too, mija. Your mother left to do some grocery shopping and your sister and Joshua took Timothy to the park." He paused and glanced at his watch. "They'll probably be back soon. There's still coffee if you want some."

"Thanks, papi." Santana smiled gratefully as she walked to the counter to pour herself a cup.

Carlos folded his newspaper and put it away. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"I was going to take Brittany to Breadsticks for lunch." Santana replied as she took a seat across from him. "Unless there's something else on the planning."

"No, just make sure that you're home for dinner. You know how your mother gets, she'll probably be cooking all day." Carlos said with a smile. He was silent for a few moments and clasped his hands together in front of him. "So, Brittany seems like a lovely girl."

"She is." Santana agreed, taking a sip from her coffee.

Carlos nodded his head, thoughtfully. "How long have you two been dating?"

Santana's eyes widened in surprise and she almost spit out her coffee. "Papi!" She scolded.

"What?" Carlos chuckled. "I was just guessing. Your reaction says it all though."

Santana sighed and adjusted her grip on her cup. "It's only been a few days. Brittany wants to take things slow so please don't make her uncomfortable by interrogating her or something like that."

"I'm sorry, Mija, but I have to make sure that she's worthy of being with my baby." Carlos said with a serious expression. Santana's features twisted with horror and he threw his head back as he laughed. "I'm just kidding, Santana. I'll leave the girl alone, don't worry."

Santana breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, papi."

They heard the door slam shut followed by the sound of footsteps. Not long after, a little boy with black, curly hair and hazel eyes ran into the kitchen. He jumped into Santana's lap and hugged her tightly. "Auntie Sanny!"

Santana smiled widely and ruffled his hair. "Hey, Timmy."

"It's almost Christmas!" Timothy squealed into her ear, bouncing excitedly in her lap. "I wrote Santa three letters this years. Did you send yours?"

"Of course." Santana chuckled, placing her hands on his shoulders to keep him still.

"Honey, why don't you show your aunt what you made for her?" Sofia suggested from where she was standing in the doorway.

Timothy's eyes lit up and he clambered off Santana's lap. He hurried across the kitchen to grab something and returned to his previous spot within five seconds. He handed Santana a white box with a blue bow around it and looked at her expectantly. Santana quickly opened it and let out an exaggerated gasp. "You baked cookies all by yourself?"

"No." Timothy giggled. "Mommy helped me."

"Well, that's very nice of you." Santana said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

Brittany entered the kitchen and greeted everyone with a shy, "Good morning." She looked at the boy on Santana's lap and shot him a warm smile. "You must be Timothy. I'm Brittany, a friend of Santana."

Timothy, suddenly becoming shy, just stared at her and didn't say anything.

"What do you have there?" Brittany asked in a gentle tone, slowly approaching them and sitting down in the chair next to Santana. When Timothy didn't reply, Santana answered the question for him, telling her about the cookies. Brittany smiled at the boy. "That's so sweet of you. I guess Santana does kind of look like the cookie monster."

Timothy finally cracked a small smile at this. He looked from the box to Brittany and quietly asked, "Do you want one?"

"Sure." Brittany replied enthusiastically. Her eyes met Santana's for a second and they exchanged a smile. Timothy handed her a cookie and she took it gratefully. "Thank you."

* * *

Later that day, after they had arrived back from Breadsticks, Timothy basically dragged them outside to play in the snow. Santana, who had eaten way too much, didn't really feel like moving so she stood on the porch and watched as Brittany and Timothy were having a snowball fight. It was truly the most adorable sight ever and she couldn't stop smiling. Seeing Brittany getting along with her family was one of the best feelings in the world.

She sighed happily and looked away for a split second when her stomach was suddenly hit by a handful of snow. She gasped in shock and looked up to see Brittany staring at her with a devilish smirk on her face. "Britt, you didn't!"

"I just did." Brittany shrugged, a playful smile on her face. "What are you going to do about it?"

"You're so going to get it now." Santana threatened as she bent down to gather as much snow as she could. Realization dawned upon Brittany's face and before Santana had the chance to throw the snowball at her, she had already sprinted off in the opposite direction. Santana didn't hesitate and quickly ran after the blonde.

Brittany's legs were longer than hers so she was a lot faster. When Santana finally managed to catch up with her, she threw her arms around her waist and tackled her to the ground, making sure that they landed on a soft pile of snow. The two of them wrestled for a while until Santana finally got the upper hand, straddling Brittany's hips and pinning her arms above her head.

"I surrender!" Brittany squeaked out through her giggles.

Santana smiled in victory and let go of her, staying in position. She bit her lip as Brittany's bright blue eyes bore into hers and lifted her hand to brush some blonde hair out of her face, running her fingers over a cold, pale cheek in the process. Santana wanted to kiss her so badly but she knew her family could see them. Before she had the chance to decide on anything, a snowball hit her on the back of her head. She groaned and looked up just in time to see Timothy run away.

She quickly stood up, extending her hand to help Brittany to her feet as well before running after her nephew. When she caught up with him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hoisted him into the air, earning a surprised squeal. She spun him around and tickled his sides, making him giggle until he had tears in his eyes.

"Tell me you're sorry!" She demanded.

"Sanny!" Timothy yelled out through his laughs. "I'm sorry!"

Santana smirked in satisfaction and slowly put him down on the ground, ruffling his hair. He ducked his head and grinned toothily before rushing inside the house. Santana's eyes met Brittany's who was watching them from a distance and she shot her a warm smile, cocking her head to the side, silently asking her if she wanted to go inside as well. Brittany nodded and began to walk in her direction.

"Timothy is really cute." The blonde said once she was by Santana's side.

Santana nodded. "He likes you."

Brittany smiled shyly but didn't say anything. They made their way back inside the house and went to Santana's room to freshen up. When they returned downstairs, a mouth-watering smell of food filled the air, leading them into the kitchen. Like Santana had already expected, there were pots and pans everywhere and her mom was standing by the stove. Maribel looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and smiled at them. "Hi, girls."

"Do you need any help?" Santana asked as she moved to stand next to her.

"Thanks Mija, you can help me with the soup." Her mom looked at one of the pans and Santana nodded in understanding. She stirred in the pan with soup, trying to resist the urge to eat from it. Maribel noticed Brittany awkwardly standing there and she nodded at some vegetables. "Brittany, could you chop those up for me?"

"Sure." Brittany said, happy to have something to do.

"It smells good in here." Sofia commented as she entered the kitchen. "Can I do anything to help?"

"You're both willingly helping me with dinner?" Maribel asked, exaggerating surprise. "That used to be different. Remember when Santana tried to make pasta for the first time? When I came to check up on her after a while, it turned out that she had somehow gotten the pot of sauce to explode and the kitchen was covered in it."

Sofia laughed. "And then she tried to clean it up with your expensive tablecloth because that was the first thing she could find."

"I was young and stupid, okay?" Santana said, narrowing her eyes at her sister. "At least I tried to cook. Whenever Mami asked you to do it, you got us take-out."

"Were you two close as children?" Brittany asked.

"At times. I'm almost ten years older than Santana so I mostly just saw her as my annoying little sister." Sofia said with a shrug. "I still do sometimes."

"What?" Santana exclaimed, feigning heartache by placing her hand on her chest.

"You know I love you, baby sister." Sofia chuckled, bumping her shoulder. She was silent for a few seconds and then spoke again, her voice serious. "That's why I'll make the life of those who hurt or mistreat you miserable."

Brittany gulped nervously when Sofia met her gaze, almost accidently chopping her own finger off.

"Sofia!" Santana whined, noticing the silent interaction.

Maribel changed the subject and gave Sofia a task. They continued to chat and share embarrassing stories about Santana's childhood with Brittany until they finished dinner. The rest of the family joined them as they sat down at the table.

During dinner everybody was smiling and chatting away but Santana noticed that there was something off about Brittany. Santana studied her face intently in attempt to find out what she was feeling. She smiled every now and then but the action seemed forced, her eyes were downcast and they didn't sparkle like they usually did. Santana made a mental note to talk to her later.

When they finished eating, everyone gathered in the living room to watch a movie. Brittany and Santana were seated on a rug in front of the fireplace, covered by a blanket and sipping from a cup of hot chocolate Maribel had made for them all. Sofia returned from putting Timothy in bed and plopped down on the couch next to her husband. "He was exhausted. He fell asleep before I could read him a story."

"It's probably because of all the excitement for tomorrow." Joshua replied, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Yeah." Sofia agreed. Her eyes found Brittany's. "He specifically asked me to tell you good night."

"Someone's developing a little crush." Maribel said, earning a few hums of agreement.

Santana looked at Brittany who just blushed and shook her head. The brunette subtly moved closer to her until their knees were touching. Brittany smiled a little and laid her hand palm up on the rug. Santana covered it with her own and laced their fingers together. They continued to watch the movie and then all headed up to their separate rooms.

* * *

"Hey Britt?" Santana asked once they were lying in bed a little while later. Brittany made a small noise of acknowledgement and rolled onto her side to face her. "I noticed that you looked a little sad during dinner. Is everything okay?"

Brittany nodded, her eyes flickering away from Santana's. "Everything is perfect, San. I was just tired."

"Are you sure?" Santana asked softly, letting her fingers lightly trace the outline of Brittany's jaw. The blonde nodded again and Santana decided to let it go. She leaned in and brushed her lips against Brittany's as she mumbled, "It's Christmas tomorrow."

"I know." Brittany said, her lips curling up into a small smile. "Can we exchange gifts privately before we join your family?"

"Sure." Santana replied sweetly. She wrapped an arm around Brittany's waist and Brittany buried her face in the curve of her neck, sighing happily. Santana pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep, baby."

Her eyes widened when she realized what she had just said. She had just called Brittany 'baby'. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she nervously looked down at Brittany's face. To her surprise, Brittany's eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep already. She breathed out a sigh of relief and tightened her arms around the blonde before closing her own eyes as well.

* * *

A few hours later, Santana sleepily rolled over and reached out for Brittany only to find that she wasn't there. The sheets were cold, an indication that the other side of the bed had been empty for a while now. Santana opened her eyes and slowly pulled herself into a seated position. She looked around the dark room but there was no sign of Brittany anywhere. Her brow creased in confusion and she climbed out of bed.

She pulled on her robe, left the room and tiptoed down the stairs. She immediately noticed that the porch lights were on so she quietly made her way outside. Brittany was leaning over the railing with her hands clasped together, silently staring ahead. Santana looked at her for a second, wondering what she was thinking about and then decided to make her presents known. She stepped forwards and cleared her throat.

"Hi."

Brittany jumped in surprise and whipped her head around in Santana's direction. Relief washed over her features when her eyes met curious brown ones. "Hey." She replied in a soft tone.

"What are you doing out here?" Santana asked as she moved to mirror Brittany's position by the railing.

Brittany sighed. "I couldn't sleep."

Santana nodded and tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing thoughtfully. She moved a little closer to Brittany so that their shoulders were touching. "What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"Nothing really." Brittany mumbled, lowering her gaze to her hands. She picked at her nails for a moment before looking back up at Santana. "It's just weird to spend Christmas like this."

"A good weird?" Santana asked, trying to read Brittany's eyes.

"Yeah." Brittany shrugged, letting out a soft, humorless laugh. "It's just a little, I don't know, overwhelming?" She breathed out, not knowing exactly what she was trying to say. Santana nodded to show her understanding so she continued. "Everybody's so nice and welcoming. It's like I belong here and I'm- I've gotten so used to being on my own. I guess I'm still adjusting. "

Santana nodded silently and reached out to take one of Brittany's hands in her own. "Take all the time you need." She replied, her thumb rubbing the back of Brittany's hand in slow, soothing circles. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know." Brittany said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She looked ahead again, gazing around at the dark, silent homes in the street, some decorated with Christmas lights. Her grip on Santana's hand tightened when she spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sometimes I wonder if they ever think of me."

Santana sighed sadly and used her free hand to brush a few strands of hair out of Brittany's face. She nuzzled the blonde's cheek with her nose and then placed a lingering kiss on the same spot. "It's okay to miss them, Britt." She spoke softly. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Brittany bit her lip and shook her head. "How can I miss and love them when they kicked me out without caring where I ended up?"

"I know it's hard, sweetheart. But you can't help how you feel." Santana told her, squeezing her hand, silently requesting eye-contact. Brittany got the message and looked up, her eyes meeting sympathetic brown ones. "I miss my abuela too, even after all the hurtful things she said to me. We shared some great times together; times that I'll never forget. People change but what we feel when we think of the memories we share with them will always be the same."

Brittany looked at her intently, her eyes glistening in the light. "How did you move on?"

"It wasn't easy. I know that my parents support me one hundred percent but I can tell that they're sad about the situation, especially at this time of year. It still hurts to know that she chose not to be in my life anymore because of who I am but I've learned to accept it." Santana explained, giving her a sad shrug. "I can't change, even if I wanted to."

"I wouldn't want you to change for the world." Brittany said, flashing her a small, barely visible smile. "Because then you wouldn't be you and I care too much to lose the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me."

Santana took a deep breath and swallowed thickly, feeling a sudden rush of emotion block her throat. Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision before they spilled down her cheeks, feeling warm against her cold skin. Blue eyes narrowed in concern as shaky hands reached up to cup her cheeks. "San? Please don't cry."

"You're amazing." Santana whispered as she wrapped her hands around Brittany's wrists to keep her from moving. Leaning in, she brought their lips together for a slow kiss. Brittany closed her eyes and melted into the touch, pulling Santana even closer. When oxygen became a necessity, Santana broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together. "Absolutely amazing."

Brittany's smile lit up the whole town. Santana wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her temple. Brittany's arms encircled Santana's back and she buried her face in the curve of Santana's neck, sighing contentedly.

They stayed in that position until they were both shivering from the cold and decided to head back to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Santana woke up to someone tickling her sides. She groaned and rolled over, throwing her arm over her eyes. She felt soft lips graze the skin of her cheek before a delicate kiss was pressed to the corner of her mouth. "Good morning." Brittany whispered.

Forcing her eyelids open, Santana looked up at the beaming, fully dressed blonde and mumbled a tired, "Hello."

"It's Christmas." Brittany stated, tilting her head in the most adorable way. "Santana, don't fall back asleep. We need to exchange our gifts before the rest wakes up."

Santana groaned again and reopened her eyes, slowly pulling herself upright. "Okay. Let me use the bathroom first."

Brittany nodded and watched as Santana dragged herself out of bed at a snail's pace. The brunette returned a few minutes later, looking a lot fresher than before, and sat down on the bed again. Brittany smiled brightly at her. "Will you open mine first?"

"Sure." Santana returned the smile. Brittany handed her a small present that was neatly wrapped in light blue paper. Hit by a wave of excitement, Santana tore the paper off until she was holding a small, square box. She frowned in confusion and looked at Brittany who gave her an encouraging nod. Santana opened the box, revealing a gorgeous silver guitar pick necklace. "Brittany…"

"Flip it over." Brittany instructed. The brunette did as she was told and saw that the line _'I pick you, x B' _was engraved on the back. Brittany studied her reaction carefully, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "I hope it's not too cheesy."

"Not at all." Santana said, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips. Pulling back, Brittany took the necklace and clipped it around Santana's neck. Santana picked it up and looked at it for a few seconds. "I love it. Thank you."

Brittany smiled widely. "You're welcome."

"Okay, your turn." Santana climbed off the bed and quickly grabbed her present for Brittany out of her suitcase. She returned to her previous spot and handed the wrapped object to Brittany. The blonde's eyes lit up and she shook it, trying to figure out what was in it. Santana smiled in amusement. "Just open it, Britt."

Brittany unwrapped the present and her features twisted into a confused expression. "You're giving me an IPod?" She asked, feeling a little disappointed to receive something that didn't seem very personalized. "Why?"

"It's not all about the IPod." Santana was quick to say. "Turn it on. I already charged it at home."

Brittany fumbled with the buttons on the device until the screen lit up. She quickly figured out how it worked and scrolled through the menu. There was a playlist on it with Santana's name as the artist. Her eyebrows scrunched together. "I don't get it."

"I asked Will and he allowed me to use the studio to record some songs." Santana started to explain. "Some of them are originals and some of them are covers of songs that reminded me of you. I kept them simple with just my voice and an acoustic guitar. I'm not that good with words unless I sing them."

Brittany was looking at her with such adoration that she felt her cheeks heat up. She plugged the earphones in before asking, "Can I listen to one?"

Santana nodded. "Of course."

Brittany put the earphones in and chose the first song that was in the list. Her breath caught in her throat as soon as the sound of Santana's singing filled her ears. Her voice was beautiful and mesmerizing, sending shivers all the way down her spine. Brittany's eyes fluttered shut of their own accord as she concentrated fully on listening. She recognized the song as the ballad version of 'Every time We Touch' by Cascada.

"Wow." She breathed out once the song was over. Taking out the earphones, she blinked a few times and slowly opened her eyes. "That was beautiful, San. Thank you so much."

"I'm glad you think so." Santana replied, shyly ducking her head. "There's something that I want to ask you."

"Anything." Brittany said, looking at her curiously.

Santana nervously rubbed her hands together and let out a shaky breath. Her heart began to pound in her chest and it took a long few moments before she had gathered enough courage to ask what she had secretly been wanting to ask for days. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

When Brittany didn't say anything, she slowly lifted her head to meet the blonde's eyes. Her heart was beating so fast that she was afraid that it would jump out of her chest. She knew that Brittany had wanted to take things slow and maybe she wasn't ready for this type of commitment yet. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she spoke again. "It's okay if you're not ready yet, Brittany."

Brittany frantically shook her head and placed her hands on Santana's cheeks, pulling her in for a kiss. "I am." She mumbled against the brunette's lips. "I know I said that I wanted to take things slow but being your girlfriend sounds pretty damn good."

Santana sighed in relief and pulled her into a hug. She smiled as she inhaled the sweet scent that was Brittany and rested her chin on the taller girl's shoulder. "Best Christmas ever."

"I agree." Brittany said as she pulled back, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled widely.

* * *

_More in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! :)_


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